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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 occur.

Another variation: Ottercreek.

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

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Otter Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Otter Creek.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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 may 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)
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
    • Alma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Alma is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • 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)
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • 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)
      • Raybon is located in Brantley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raybon
      • 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)
      • Popwellville is located in Brantley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popwellville
      • 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)
      • Tarboro is located in Camden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarboro
      • 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)
      • Winokur is located in Charlton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winokur
    • Mattox ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Mattox is located in Charlton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattox
  • 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)
      • Thalmann is located in Glynn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thalmann
    • Georgetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Georgetown is located in Glynn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
  • 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)
      • Sunnyside is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Waycross
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jamestown is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Waltertown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Waltertown is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
      • Waltertown has also been known as:
      • Watertown
    • Deenwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Deenwood is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deenwood
    • Winona Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Winona Park is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona Park
    • Emerson Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Emerson Park is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson Park
    • Waresboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Ruskin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ruskin is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,203 people
    • Talmo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Talmo is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmo
    • Manor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • 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)
      • Pendarvis is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendarvis
      • Estimated population in 2019: 562 people
    • Doctortown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
    • Madray Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs

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

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Otter Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

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)
  • Strickland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Browns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Offerman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gethsemane Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Blackshear Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Nunn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (149 more) ...
    • Ivy Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Enon Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<3>

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)
    • Braganza is located in Ware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braganza
  • Ritch
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Ritch is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritch
  • Waltertown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Waltertown is located in Ware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
    • 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)
    • Needham is located in Ware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Racepond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Racepond is located in Charlton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racepond
    • Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Beach is located in Ware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Gardi
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Gardi is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardi

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.

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]<4>. 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 like to 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:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Otter Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Otter Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.