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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 Ocilla (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 Ocilla. 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 hospitals and 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.

Ocilla is located in Irwin County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Georgia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Irwin County: Ben Hill, Berrien, Coffee, Tift & Turner.

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

  • Irwin County     (The home county of Ocilla)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Mystic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mystic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
      • Mystic is located in Irwin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mystic <2>
    • Irwinville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwinville
      • Irwinville is located in Irwin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irwinville <2>
    • Wray
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Arp
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arp
      • Arp is located in Irwin County
  • Atkinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Willacoochee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willacoochee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willacoochee
      • Willacoochee is located in Atkinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,389 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willacoochee <2>
    • Leliaton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leliaton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leliaton
      • Leliaton is located in Atkinson County
  • Ben Hill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Fitzgerald
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Abba
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abba
      • Abba is located in Ben Hill County
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Enigma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Alapaha
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Nashville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
      • Nashville is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,811 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nashville <2>
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Ambrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Broxton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Mora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Coffee County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 444 people
    • Douglas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Oak Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Coffee County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 470 people
    • West Green
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Green
      • West Green is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Green <2>
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Lenox
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Staunton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staunton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staunton
      • Staunton is located in Cook County
  • Dodge County
    • Rhine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhine
      • Rhine is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rhine <2>
  • Telfair County
    • Jacksonville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Tift County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Brookfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Chula
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Abac
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Tifton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Phillipsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
      • Phillipsburg is located in Tift County
    • Unionville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Unionville is located in Tift County
    • Ty Ty
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Omega
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Turner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Rebecca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sycamore
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Ashburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Hobby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hobby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobby
      • Hobby is located in Turner County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 536 people
  • Wilcox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocilla, with the one closest to Ocilla listed first.
    • Rochelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochelle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
      • Rochelle is located in Wilcox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochelle <2>
    • Abbeville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Pitts
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Worth County
    • Sumner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ocilla ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ocilla.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ocilla. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ocilla and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ocilla.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Ocilla.

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 Ocilla:

Cemeteries Near Ocilla ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ocilla.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Ocilla City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ocilla City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocilla City Cemetery
  • Brushy Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brushy Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brushy Creek Cemetery
  • Whitleys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitleys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitleys Cemetery
  • Frank Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frank Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frank Cemetery
  • Evertt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evertt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evertt Cemetery
  • Old Valley Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Valley Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Valley Grove Cemetery
  • Paulk Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paulk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paulk Cemetery
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • New Valley Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Valley Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Valley Grove Cemetery
  • Paulk Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paulk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paulk Cemetery
  • Henderson Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Henderson Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henderson Chapel Cemetery
  • Holt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holt Cemetery
  • Continue List   (281 more) ...
    • Mc Cook Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mc Cook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mc Cook Cemetery
    • Mystic Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mystic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mystic Cemetery
    • Pinetta Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinetta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinetta Cemetery

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

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

  • Irwinville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwinville
    • Irwinville is located in Irwin County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irwinville <2>
  • Lax
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lax
    • Lax is located in Coffee County
  • Abba
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abba
    • Abba is located in Ben Hill County
  • Enigma
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Brookfield
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Alapaha
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Sibbie
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibbie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibbie
    • Sibbie is located in Wilcox County
  • China Hill
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for China Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for China Hill
    • China Hill is located in Telfair County
  • Temperance
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temperance have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temperance
    • Temperance is located in Telfair County
  • Broxton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Jacksonville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Douglas
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Lenox
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rochelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochelle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochelle
      • Rochelle is located in Wilcox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochelle <2>
    • Copeland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copeland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
      • Copeland is located in Dodge County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ocilla. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Georgia: https://georgia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ocilla) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ocilla. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5994, Longitude: -83.2503       In this case, the coordinates for Ocilla have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Ocilla, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024