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 Oakland (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 Oakland. 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.
Oakland is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Barbour (AL), Henry (AL), Calhoun, Early, Quitman & Randolph.
Below are the counties that are near Oakland. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oakland:
- Clay County (The home county of Oakland)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Bellville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bellville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellville
- Estimated population in 2019: 118 people
- Bluffton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fort Gaines
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Oketeyeconne ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Oketeyeconne is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oketeyeconne
- Baker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Milford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Milford is located in Baker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
- Anna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Anna is located in Baker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
- Mimsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mimsville is located in Baker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mimsville
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Edison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Arlington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Morgan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Williamsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Williamsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Leary
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Holt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Holt is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
- Early County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Bancroft
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bancroft is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Blakely
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Douglasville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Douglasville is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglasville
- Estimated population in 2019: 11,695 people
- Rock Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rock Hill is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 248 people
- Centerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Centerville is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Damascus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hentown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hentown is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hentown
- Estimated population in 2019: 3,944 people
- Douglass Crossroads
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Douglass Crossroads is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass Crossroads
- Estimated population in 2019: 33,992 people
- Sawhatchee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Sawhatchee is located in Early County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawhatchee
- Cedar Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Miller County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Mayhaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Mayhaw is located in Miller County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
- Colquitt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Quitman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Morris
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hatcher
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Hatcher is located in Quitman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatcher
- Georgetown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Georgetown is located in Quitman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Coleman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cuthbert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wades
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Wades is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wades
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,858 people
- Five Points
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Five Points is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Shellman
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Brooksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brooksville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooksville
- Estimated population in 2019: 559 people
- Stewart County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Mount Zion ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Zion is located in Stewart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Sanford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Sanford is located in Stewart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
- Estimated population in 2019: 159 people
- Terrell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Clarks Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Clarks Mill is located in Terrell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Mill
- Estimated population in 2019: 12,637 people
- Herod
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Herod is located in Terrell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herod
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,384 people
- Dawson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parrott
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Yeomans
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Yeomans is located in Terrell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeomans
- Population from the 2010 Census: 507 people
- Sasser
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Leveretts
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Leveretts is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leveretts
- Weston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Barbour County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Eufaula
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bakerhill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bakerhill is located in Barbour County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Cotton Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cotton Hill is located in Barbour County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
- Henry County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Shorterville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Shorterville is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorterville
- Screamer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Screamer is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamer
- Haleburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Haleburg is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haleburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Abbeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Graball
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Graball is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graball
- Former names for Graball:
- Hart's Crossroads
- Hudspeth's Crossroads
- Oakey Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Oakey Grove is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakey Grove
- Capps
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Capps is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps
- Houston County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Columbia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Williams
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Williams is located in Houston County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oakland, see our County-by-County Page for Oakland.
Cemeteries Near Oakland ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakland.
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 Oakland - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oakland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Enterprise Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Vilulah Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bluffton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Vincent Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mills Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mars Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wesley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Carnegie Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Judson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bryant - Neves Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (203 more) ...
- Mt. Hebron Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. Stephen's Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Stephen's Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Stephen's Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Edison.
- The St. Stephen's Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Stevens Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #36787 <2>
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.<3>
While we didn't find Oakland in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oakland.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oakland, with the one closest to Oakland listed first.
- Bluffton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Coleman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Edison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Pecan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pecan is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecan
- Dickey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Dickey is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Fort Gaines
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Arlington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cuthbert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Morgan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Folks ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Folks is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folks
- Shorterville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Shorterville is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorterville
- Blakely
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Williamsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Williamsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Springvale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Springvale is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
- Hardwickburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hardwickburg is located in Henry County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwickburg
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oakland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oakland.
Newspapers Published in Oakland ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakland.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oakland, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oakland.
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 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 Oakland:
- Websites specific to Georgia
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baker County
- Calhoun County
- Early County
- Miller County
- Quitman County
- Randolph County
- Stewart County
- Terrell County
- Webster County
- Barbour County
- Henry County
- Houston County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Georgia
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> | 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 Oakland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Oakland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |