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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 Otter Creek (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 Otter Creek. 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.

Name Variations for Otter Creek ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Ottercreek.

  • A typical abbreviation for Otter Creek: Otter Crk. (or less commonly used: Otter Ck. or Otter Cr.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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 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.

Otter Creek is located in Pierce 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 Pierce County: Appling, Bacon, Brantley, Ware & Wayne.

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

  • Pierce County     (The home county of Otter Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Patterson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Offerman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Blackshear
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Bristol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mershon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Appling County
    • Surrency
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Coffee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
    • Alma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Bacon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,336 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Guysie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guysie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
  • Brantley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Hoboken
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hortense
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Raybon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Waynesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Popwellville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Camden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Tarboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tarboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarboro
      • Tarboro is located in Camden County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 85 people
    • Waverly
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Charlton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Winokur
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winokur
      • Winokur is located in Charlton County
    • Mattox ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattox have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattox
      • Mattox is located in Charlton County
  • Glynn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Thalmann
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thalmann
      • Thalmann is located in Glynn County
    • Georgetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Glynn County
  • Ware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Sunnyside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
      • Sunnyside is located in Ware County
    • Waycross
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ware County
    • Waltertown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
      • Waltertown is located in Ware County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
      • Waltertown has also been known as:
      • Watertown
    • Deenwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deenwood
      • Deenwood is located in Ware County
    • Winona Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona Park
      • Winona Park is located in Ware County
    • Emerson Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson Park
      • Emerson Park is located in Ware County
    • Waresboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Ruskin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruskin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
      • Ruskin is located in Ware County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,203 people
    • Talmo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmo
      • Talmo is located in Ware County
    • Manor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
      • Manor is located in Ware County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <1>
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Screven
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Odum
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Jesup
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pendarvis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Madray Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County

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

Newspapers Published in Otter Creek ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otter Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otter Creek, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otter Creek.

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 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 Otter Creek:

Cemeteries Near Otter Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otter Creek.

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

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

  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Strickland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strickland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strickland Cemetery
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Browns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Browns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Browns Cemetery
  • Offerman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Offerman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Offerman Cemetery
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
  • Gethsemane Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Blackshear Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blackshear Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blackshear Cemetery
  • Moore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
  • Nunn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nunn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nunn Cemetery
  • Continue List   (148 more) ...
    • Ivy Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ivy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ivy Cemetery
    • Enon Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enon Cemetery
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns 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.<5>

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

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

  • Patterson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Offerman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Blackshear
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hortense
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Nahunta
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Screven
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Waycross
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Braganza
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Braganza have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braganza
    • Braganza is located in Ware County
  • Ritch
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Waltertown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
    • Waltertown is located in Ware County
    • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
    • Waltertown has also been known as:
    • Watertown
  • Waresboro
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Needham
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
    • Needham is located in Ware County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Racepond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Racepond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racepond
      • Racepond is located in Charlton County
    • Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
      • Beach is located in Ware County
    • Gardi
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Otter Creek. 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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Otter Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otter Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.3238, Longitude: -82.1343       In this case, the coordinates for Otter Creek 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 Otter Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024