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










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Georgia

The Commemorative Quarter for Georgia





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 Odessa (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 Odessa. 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 and doctors 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.

Odessa is located in Wayne County.

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 Wayne County: Appling, Brantley, Glynn, Long, McIntosh, Pierce & Tattnall.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Odessa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Jesup
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Pendarvis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pendarvis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendarvis
      • Pendarvis is located in Wayne County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 562 people
    • Screven
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Odum
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Madray Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
  • Appling County
    • Surrency
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Bacon County
    • Coffee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
  • Brantley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Popwellville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popwellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popwellville
      • Popwellville is located in Brantley County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 692 people
    • Hortense
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Waynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Raybon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raybon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raybon
      • Raybon is located in Brantley County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,094 people
    • Nahunta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Glynn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Altamaha Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha Park
      • Altamaha Park is located in Glynn County
    • Thalmann
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thalmann
      • Thalmann is located in Glynn County
    • Georgetown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Glynn County
    • Groveside Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groveside Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveside Park
      • Groveside Park is located in Glynn County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 15,152 people
    • Shady Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Acres
      • Shady Acres is located in Glynn County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 236 people
    • Blythe Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blythe Island
      • Blythe Island is located in Glynn County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 711 people
    • Glynco
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dock Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dock Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dock Junction
      • Dock Junction is located in Glynn County
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Walthourville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walthourville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthourville
      • Walthourville is located in Liberty County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walthourville <1>
    • Allenhurst
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gum Branch
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gum Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Branch
      • Gum Branch is located in Liberty County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
    • Cherokee Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherokee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
      • Cherokee Village is located in Liberty County
    • Hinesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Pineview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pineview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineview
      • Pineview is located in Liberty County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 489 people
    • Doe Run Estates
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doe Run Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Run Estates
      • Doe Run Estates is located in Liberty County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 736 people
    • Garden Acres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Acres
      • Garden Acres is located in Liberty County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 8,713 people
    • Riceboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riceboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceboro
      • Riceboro is located in Liberty County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 765 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riceboro <1>
    • Screven Fork
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Screven Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screven Fork
      • Screven Fork is located in Liberty County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 771 people
    • Tupelo Trail
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tupelo Trail have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo Trail
      • Tupelo Trail is located in Liberty County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 347 people
    • Flemington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Stewart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Long County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Ludowici
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludowici have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludowici
      • Ludowici is located in Long County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,352 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ludowici <1>
    • Donald
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Donald is located in Long County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,466 people
  • McIntosh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Townsend
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Townsend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townsend
      • Townsend is located in McIntosh County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Townsend <1>
    • Credit Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit Hill
      • Credit Hill is located in McIntosh County
    • Crescent
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Darien
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Meridian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meridian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
      • Meridian is located in McIntosh County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meridian <1>
    • Valona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Shellman Bluff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Odessa, with the one closest to Odessa listed first.
    • Offerman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Patterson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bristol
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Mershon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Blackshear
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tattnall County
    • Glennville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Odessa ...

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 Odessa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Odessa, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Odessa.

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 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 Odessa:

Cemeteries Near Odessa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Odessa.

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 Odessa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Jesup City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Old German Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old German Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old German Cemetery
  • Sunset Oaks Memorials
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pinecrest Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Middleton Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middleton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middleton Cemetery
  • Strangers Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strangers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strangers Cemetery
  • Baggs Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Citizens Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bennett Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bennett Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the south of Screven.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bennett Cemetery
  • Screven Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Screven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Screven Cemetery
  • Rogers Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rogers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rogers Cemetery
  • Continue List   (177 more) ...
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Davis Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
    • Duck Pond Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Gardi
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardi have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardi
    • Gardi is located in Wayne County
  • Jesup
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Doctortown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doctortown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
    • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
  • Mount Pleasant
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Mount Pleasant is located in Wayne County
  • Screven
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Odum
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ritch
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritch
    • Ritch is located in Wayne County
  • Hortense
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Walthourville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walthourville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthourville
    • Walthourville is located in Liberty County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,065 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walthourville <1>
  • Offerman
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Brentwood
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brentwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
    • Brentwood is located in Wayne County
  • Gum Branch
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gum Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Branch
    • Gum Branch is located in Liberty County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Patterson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pennick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennick
      • Pennick is located in Glynn County
    • Jamaica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamaica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamaica
      • Jamaica is located in Glynn County

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

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

The official website for Wayne County: www.co.wayne.ga.us/

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

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 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.
<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- Odessa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Odessa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5577, Longitude: -81.8201       In this case, the coordinates for Odessa have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Odessa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024