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 Saint Simons Island (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 Saint Simons Island. 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 Saint Simons Island ...
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.
- A typical abbreviation for Saint Simons Island: St. Simons Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
- While the name of this community is Saint Simons Island, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Saint Simons Island may originally have been Saint Simon's Island.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Saint Simons Island might be written as Saint Simon Island.
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 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.
Saint Simons Island is located in Glynn 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 Glynn County: Brantley, Camden, McIntosh & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Saint Simons Island. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Simons Island:
- Glynn County (The home county of Saint Simons Island)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Jewtown
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jewtown is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewtown
- Saint Simons
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Saint Simons is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Simons
- Kings Terrace
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Kings Terrace is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Terrace
- Estimated population in 2019: 679 people
- Sea Island
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Epworth Acres
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Epworth Acres is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epworth Acres
- Population from the 2010 Census: 480 people
- Saint Simon Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Simon Mills is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Simon Mills
- Population from the 2010 Census: 12,743 people
- King City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- King City is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King City
- German Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- German Village is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Village
- Brunswick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Country Club Estates
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Glynco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dock Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Dock Junction is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dock Junction
- Brantley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Popwellville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Popwellville is located in Brantley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popwellville
- Estimated population in 2019: 692 people
- Waynesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Camden County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Hickory Bluff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hickory Bluff is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Bluff
- Ella Park ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ella Park is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella Park
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,867 people
- Waverly
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- White Oak
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Woodbine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Harrietts Bluff Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- London Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- London Hill is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London Hill
- Estimated population in 2019: 91 people
- Jefferson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Estimated population in 2019: 12,032 people
- Tarboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tarboro is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarboro
- Estimated population in 2019: 85 people
- Dungeness
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dungeness is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dungeness
- Kingsland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Marys
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- McIntosh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Darien
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Doboy ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Doboy is located in McIntosh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doboy
- Population from the 2010 Census: 7,721 people
- Sapelo Island
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Meridian
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Valona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Crescent
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Credit Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Credit Hill is located in McIntosh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit Hill
- Townsend
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Shellman Bluff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Simons Island, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Simons Island.
Cemeteries Near Saint Simons Island ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Simons Island.
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 Saint Simons Island - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Simons Island covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Retreat Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Stranger Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- DuBignon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oglethorpe Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brunswick Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Palmetto Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Memory Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Freedman Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Black Hammock Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Antioch Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch Cemetery
- The Antioch Cemetery has also been known as:
- Honey Creek Cemetery
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
- Continue List (75 more) ...
- Petersville Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Old Slave Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Daniel Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
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 Saint Simons Island in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Saint Simons Island.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Simons Island, with the one closest to Saint Simons Island listed first.
- Brunswick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dock Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Dock Junction is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dock Junction
- Fancy Bluff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Fancy Bluff is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Bluff
- Evelyn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Evelyn is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evelyn
- Ella Park ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ella Park is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella Park
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,867 people
- Darien
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Pennick
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pennick is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennick
- Doboy ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Doboy is located in McIntosh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doboy
- Population from the 2010 Census: 7,721 people
- Ridgeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Ridgeville is located in McIntosh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Jamaica
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Jamaica is located in Glynn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamaica
- Mount Pleasant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Tarboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tarboro is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarboro
- Estimated population in 2019: 85 people
- Tompkins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tompkins is located in Camden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkins
- Saint Marys
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Simons Island. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Simons Island.
Newspapers Published in Saint Simons Island ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Simons Island.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Simons Island, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Simons Island.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Saint Simons Island:
- Websites specific to Georgia
- Pages specific to Glynn County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brantley County
- Camden County
- McIntosh County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Georgia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Saint Simons Island, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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- Saint Simons Island) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |