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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 Otisco (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 Otisco. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Otisco is located in Decatur 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 Decatur County: Gadsden (FL), Baker, Grady, Miller, Mitchell & Seminole.

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

  • Decatur County     (The home county of Otisco)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Climax
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Fowlstown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bainbridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Attapulgus
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Faceville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faceville
      • Faceville is located in Decatur County
    • Vada
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vada
      • Vada is located in Decatur County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 56,457 people
    • Recovery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Recovery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Recovery
      • Recovery is located in Decatur County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 33,015 people
    • Brinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Baker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Lamar ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Baker County
    • Hawkinstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawkinstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkinstown
      • Hawkinstown is located in Baker County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,270 people
    • Anna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Anna is located in Baker County
  • Grady County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Whigham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Calvary
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Reno
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Reno is located in Grady County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 285 people
    • Good Hope ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
      • Good Hope is located in Grady County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 300 people
    • Cairo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Midway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Grady County
    • Woodland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
      • Woodland is located in Grady County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 353 people
    • Spence
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spence
      • Spence is located in Grady County
  • Miller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Boykin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
      • Boykin is located in Miller County
    • Floydtown ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floydtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floydtown
      • Floydtown is located in Miller County
    • Colquitt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Greenwood ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Mitchell County
    • Pelham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Camilla
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Reynoldsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reynoldsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
      • Reynoldsville is located in Seminole County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 960 people
    • Iron City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Donalsonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Butlers Ferry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butlers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butlers Ferry
      • Butlers Ferry is located in Seminole County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,759 people
    • Steam Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steam Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steam Mill
      • Steam Mill is located in Seminole County
  • Thomas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Ochlocknee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ochlocknee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochlocknee
      • Ochlocknee is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ochlocknee <1>
    • Hansell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hansell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansell
      • Hansell is located in Thomas County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 6,534 people
    • Meigs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Dewey City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewey City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey City
      • Dewey City is located in Thomas County
    • Thomasville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Gadsden County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Havana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Havana is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Havana <1>
    • Quincy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,804 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quincy <1>
    • Mount Pleasant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Douglas City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Douglas City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas City
      • Douglas City is located in Gadsden County (FL)
    • Gretna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Gretna is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <1>
    • Midway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Midway <1>
    • Chattahoochee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Greensboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • River Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for River Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Junction
      • River Junction is located in Gadsden County (FL)
    • Sycamore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Sycamore is located in Gadsden County (FL)
  • Jackson County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Butler ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
      • Butler is located in Jackson County (FL)
    • Sneads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sneads
      • Sneads is located in Jackson County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,754 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sneads <1>
  • Leon County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otisco, with the one closest to Otisco listed first.
    • Tallahassee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Miccosukee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Otisco ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otisco.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otisco, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otisco.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Otisco:

Cemeteries Near Otisco ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otisco.

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

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

  • Samuel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samuel Cemetery
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Grove Cemetery
  • Fleatown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Cemetery
  • Arline Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arline Cemetery
  • New Fountainhead Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Fountainhead Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Fountainhead Cemetery
  • Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Conyers Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Magnolia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Magnolia Cemetery
  • Poplar Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poplar Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poplar Springs Cemetery
  • Jonas Lobe Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jonas Lobe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jonas Lobe Cemetery
  • Continue List   (259 more) ...
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Butler Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Butler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Butler Cemetery
    • Thomas Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas 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.<6>

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

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

  • Climax
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Fowlstown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Attapulgus
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Bainbridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Faceville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faceville
    • Faceville is located in Decatur County
  • Concord
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concord have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Concord is located in Gadsden County (FL)
  • Ocklockonee ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocklockonee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocklockonee
    • Ocklockonee is located in Leon County (FL)
  • Recovery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Recovery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Recovery
    • Recovery is located in Decatur County
    • Population from the 2010 Census: 33,015 people
  • Eldorendo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldorendo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorendo
    • Eldorendo is located in Decatur County
  • Brinson
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Mount Pleasant
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Quincy
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Quincy is located in Gadsden County (FL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,804 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quincy <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Scotland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
      • Scotland is located in Gadsden County (FL)
    • Iamonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iamonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iamonia
      • Iamonia is located in Leon County (FL)
    • Twilight ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twilight have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilight
      • Twilight is located in Miller County

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

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

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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- Otisco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otisco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.8532, Longitude: -84.4655       In this case, the coordinates for Otisco have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Otisco, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024