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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 Lawton (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 Lawton. 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 hospitals 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.

Lawton is located in Jenkins 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 Jenkins County: Bulloch, Burke, Emanuel & Screven.

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

  • Jenkins County     (The home county of Lawton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Perkins
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Millen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Emmalane
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Emmalane is located in Jenkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmalane
    • Scarboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Scarboro is located in Jenkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
    • Thrift
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Thrift is located in Jenkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thrift
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,623 people
  • Bulloch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Aaron
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Aaron is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aaron
    • Kites Spur ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Kites Spur is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kites Spur
      • Estimated population in 2019: 227 people
    • Portal
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Clito
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Clito is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clito
    • Statesboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Burke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Munnerlyn
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Munnerlyn is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munnerlyn
    • Thomas Station
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Thomas Station is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Station
      • Estimated population in 2019: 8,752 people
    • Sardis
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Waynesboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Girard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Drone
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Drone is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drone
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 14,568 people
    • Magruder
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Magruder is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magruder
    • Midville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Rosier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosier is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosier
    • Number Ten ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Number Ten is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Number Ten
      • Estimated population in 2019: 145 people
    • Vidette
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Vidette is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vidette
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Gough
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Torbit Station ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Torbit Station is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torbit Station
      • Torbit Station has also been known as:
      • Torbit
  • Emanuel County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Garfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Colemans Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Colemans Lake is located in Emanuel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colemans Lake
    • Summertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Blun
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Blun is located in Emanuel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blun
    • Twin City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Blundale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Blundale is located in Emanuel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blundale
    • Swainsboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Old Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Old Town is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Moxley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Moxley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
    • Wadley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wadley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,834 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wadley <1>
    • Louisville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Noah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Noah is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noah
      • Noah has also been known as:
      • Noah Station
    • Bartow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Screven County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Rocky Ford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Zeigler
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Zeigler is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
    • Hilltonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Hilltonia is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltonia
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 262 people
    • Hiltonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Millhaven
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Millhaven is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millhaven
    • Sylvania
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ogeechee ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ogeechee is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogeechee
      • Former name for Ogeechee:
      • Oguchee
    • Cooperville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Cooperville is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperville
    • Dover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cameron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Cameron is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,012 people
    • Captolo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Captolo is located in Screven County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captolo
  • Aiken County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lawton, with the one closest to Lawton listed first.
    • Bush ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bush is located in Aiken County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
    • Cowden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Cowden is located in Aiken County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowden
  • Allendale County (SC)
    • Martin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Barnwell County (SC)
    • Hattieville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hattieville is located in Barnwell County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville

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

Cemeteries Near Lawton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lawton.

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

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

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

  • Lawtonville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Little Buckhead Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Rocky Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Millen City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Kelsey Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Green Fork Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Big Buckhead Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Habersham Methodist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Cullen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Lane Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (283 more) ...
    • Williams Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sand Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Big Horse Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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 Lawton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lawton.

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

  • Munnerlyn
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Munnerlyn is located in Burke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munnerlyn
  • Alexander
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Alexander is located in Burke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
  • Woodcliff
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodcliff is located in Screven County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcliff
  • Sardis
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Waynesboro
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Rocky Ford
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Zeigler
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Zeigler is located in Screven County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
  • Bascom
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Bascom is located in Screven County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bascom
  • Midville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Garfield
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Millhaven
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Millhaven is located in Screven County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millhaven
  • Girard
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Drone
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Drone is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drone
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 14,568 people
    • Rosier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosier is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosier
    • Canoochee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Canoochee is located in Emanuel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canoochee

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

Newspapers Published in Lawton ...

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 Lawton.

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

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 websites either 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 Lawton:

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 from Point A (ie- Lawton) 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 Lawton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.