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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 Holmesville (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 Holmesville. 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.

Holmesville is located in Appling 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 Appling County: Bacon, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Tattnall, Toombs & Wayne.

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

  • Appling County     (The home county of Holmesville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Baxley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Phillipi
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Phillipi is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipi
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 707 people
    • Surrency
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Graham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Coffee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
    • Alma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Alma is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,336 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Guysie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Nicholls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • West Green
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Jeff Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Quinn is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinn
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,652 people
    • Hazlehurst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Tallahassee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Tallahassee is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahassee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,185 people
    • Denton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Lumber City Ferry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lumber City Ferry is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,257 people
    • Kirkland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Kirkland is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
  • Long County
    • Donald
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Donald is located in Long County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,466 people
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Uvalda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Alston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Mershon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Bristol
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Offerman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Patterson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Blackshear
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Tattnall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Glennville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mendes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Mendes is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendes
      • Estimated population in 2019: 456 people
    • Reidsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Telfair County
    • Lumber City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Toombs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Cedar Crossing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Crossing is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crossing
    • Toombs Central
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Toombs Central is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toombs Central
      • Estimated population in 2019: 486 people
    • Rock Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Rock Springs is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
  • Ware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Waltertown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Waltertown is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
      • Waltertown has also been known as:
      • Watertown
    • Jamestown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jamestown is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Talmo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Talmo is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmo
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holmesville, with the one closest to Holmesville listed first.
    • Odum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Madray Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
    • Screven
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Jesup
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Doctortown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown

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

Cemeteries Near Holmesville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Holmesville.

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

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

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

  • Graham Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Beckworth Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Old Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Lynn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Deen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Deen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery
    • The Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Crosby Cemetery
  • Miles Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Big Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Overstreet Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Surrency Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (258 more) ...
    • Baxley Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Memorial Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memorial Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Memorial Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the south of Surrency.
      • The Memorial Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Memorial Church Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960031 <2>
    • Surrency Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Wheaton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wheaton is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
  • Baxley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Surrency
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Prentiss
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Prentiss is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
  • Pine Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Grove is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
  • Brentwood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Brentwood is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
  • Graham
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Graham is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Johnsonville ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Johnsonville is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonville
  • Ritch
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ritch is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritch
  • Odum
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • English Eddy
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • English Eddy is located in Toombs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Eddy
  • Altamaha
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Altamaha is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha
    • Former name for Altamaha:
    • Atamaha
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Beach is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Nicholls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Offerman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Holmesville ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Holmesville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Holmesville, 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 Holmesville.

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 Holmesville:

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' (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- Holmesville) 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 Holmesville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.