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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 Smiley Crossroads (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 Smiley Crossroads. 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 Smiley Crossroads ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Smiley Crossroads: Smiley Xrds.

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.

Smiley Crossroads is located in Long 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 Long County: Liberty, McIntosh, Tattnall & Wayne.

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

  • Long County     (The home county of Smiley Crossroads)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Donald
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Donald is located in Long County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,466 people
    • Ludowici
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Appling County
    • Surrency
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Bryan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Pembroke
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellabell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Richmond Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Keller
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Keller is located in Bryan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
  • Bulloch County
    • Statesborough
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Statesborough is located in Bulloch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesborough
      • Estimated population in 2019: 32,954 people
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Meldrim
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Eden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Evans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Daisy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Claxton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Hagan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bellville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Gum Branch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Gum Branch is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Branch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
    • Fort Stewart
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hinesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Pineview
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Pineview is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineview
      • Estimated population in 2019: 489 people
    • Bryan Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Bryan Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan Village
    • Cherokee Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Cherokee Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
    • Garden Acres
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Garden Acres is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Acres
      • Estimated population in 2019: 8,713 people
    • Martin Woods
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Martin Woods is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Woods
      • Estimated population in 2019: 383 people
    • Allenhurst
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Walthourville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Doe Run Estates
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Doe Run Estates is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Run Estates
      • Estimated population in 2019: 736 people
    • Flemington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Tupelo Trail
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Tupelo Trail is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo Trail
      • Estimated population in 2019: 347 people
  • McIntosh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Townsend
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Credit Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Credit Hill is located in McIntosh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit Hill
  • Tattnall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Glennville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Midway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Midway is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Estimated population in 2019: 657 people
    • Mendes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mendes is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendes
      • Estimated population in 2019: 456 people
    • Manassas
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Reidsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Collins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiley Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiley Crossroads listed first.
    • Doctortown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
    • Madray Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
    • Jesup
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Odum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pendarvis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Pendarvis is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendarvis
      • Estimated population in 2019: 562 people
    • Screven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Smiley Crossroads ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiley Crossroads.

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 Smiley Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Poplar Head Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wells Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Gaps of the Bays Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Smith Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Zion Travel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jones Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
    • The Jones Creek Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Jones Creek Baptist Church Memorial Gardens
  • Barrett Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Luke MB Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Popples Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Pigot Branch MB Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (195 more) ...
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Taylors Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Todd - Ray Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Gum Branch
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Gum Branch is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Branch
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
  • Taylors Creek ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylors Creek is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Creek
  • Hinesville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Walthourville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Birdford ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Birdford is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdford
  • Glennville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Flemington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • McIntosh
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • McIntosh is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
  • Doctortown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
  • Tison
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Tison is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tison
  • Jesup
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Fleming
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Odum
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Riceboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorchester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Dorchester is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester

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

Newspapers Published in Smiley Crossroads ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiley Crossroads.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiley Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiley Crossroads.

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 Smiley Crossroads:

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>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 Smiley Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Smiley Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.