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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 Ponderosa (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 Ponderosa. 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.

Ponderosa is located in Toombs 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 Toombs County: Appling, Candler, Emanuel, Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Tattnall & Treutlen.

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

  • Toombs County     (The home county of Ponderosa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Ohoopee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ohoopee is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohoopee
    • Lyons
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Santa Claus
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Santa Claus is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Claus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Vidalia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Charles
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Charles is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles
    • Toombs Central
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Toombs Central is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toombs Central
      • Estimated population in 2019: 486 people
    • Rock Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Rock Springs is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
    • Cedar Crossing
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Crossing is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crossing
  • Appling County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Baxley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Graham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Bulloch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • New Hope
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • New Hope is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
    • Register
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Aaron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Aaron is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aaron
    • Kites Spur ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Kites Spur is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kites Spur
      • Estimated population in 2019: 227 people
    • Portal
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Candler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Canoe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Canoe is located in Candler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canoe
      • Estimated population in 2019: 785 people
    • Metter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pulaski
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Emanuel County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Oak Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Stillmore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Nunez
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Norristown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Swainsboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Twin City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Evans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Bellville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hagan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Claxton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Daisy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Jeff Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Tallahassee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Tallahassee is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahassee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,185 people
    • Hazlehurst
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson County
    • Adrian
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Laurens County
    • Rockledge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Higgston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Higgston is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Petross
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Petross is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petross
    • Alston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Uvalda
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Ailey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Ailey is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ailey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ailey <1>
    • Tarrytown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Vernon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Tattnall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Collins
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Cobbtown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Cobbtown is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbtown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
      • Former name for Cobbtown:
      • Cobb Town
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cobbtown <1>
    • Reidsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Manassas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Mendes
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mendes is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendes
      • Estimated population in 2019: 456 people
    • Midway
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Midway is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Estimated population in 2019: 657 people
    • Glennville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Telfair County
    • Lumber City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Treutlen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Gillis Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gillis Springs is located in Treutlen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillis Springs
    • Soperton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Wheeler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa, with the one closest to Ponderosa listed first.
    • Ochwalkee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Ochwalkee is located in Wheeler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochwalkee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,732 people
    • Glenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Alamo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Alamo is located in Wheeler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alamo <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Ponderosa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ponderosa.

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 Ponderosa - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hillsboro Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Zion Cemetery
    • The Mt. Zion Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Mt. Zion Church Cemetery
  • Macon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Macon Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southeast of Lyons.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #327372 <3>
  • Collins Chapel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Odom Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Findley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Wilkes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Old Reedy Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • McLain Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Bazemore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sapp Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (346 more) ...

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

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

  • Collins
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Vidalia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Reidsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Higgston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Higgston is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgston
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
  • Manassas
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • McGregor
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • McGregor is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
  • English Eddy
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • English Eddy is located in Toombs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Eddy
  • Altamaha
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Altamaha is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha
    • Former name for Altamaha:
    • Atamaha
  • Stillmore
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Kibbee
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Kibbee is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbee
  • Ailey
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Ailey is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ailey
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ailey <1>
  • Mount Vernon
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Nunez
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Tison
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tison is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tison
    • Covena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Covena is located in Emanuel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covena

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

Newspapers Published in Ponderosa ...

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 Ponderosa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ponderosa, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ponderosa.

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 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 Ponderosa:

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>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- Ponderosa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Ponderosa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.