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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 Social Circle (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 Social Circle. 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 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 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.

Social Circle is primarily located in Walton County. A portion of Social Circle extends into Newton 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 Walton County: Barrow, Gwinnett, Morgan, Newton, Oconee & Rockdale.

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

  • Walton County     (The home county of Social Circle)
  • Barrow County
  • Butts County
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Cleveland Station
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cleveland Station is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Station
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,165 people
    • Pine Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Lake is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
      • Estimated population in 2019: 754 people
    • Riverside
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Riverside is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Estimated population in 2016: 35 people
    • Chamberlin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Chamberlin is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlin
      • Estimated population in 2019: 30,307 people
    • Athens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jefferson Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jefferson Valley is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Valley
      • Estimated population in 2019: 939 people
    • Cedar Shoals Estates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Shoals Estates is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Shoals Estates
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 74 people
    • Lexington Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lexington Heights is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington Heights
      • Estimated population in 2019: 228 people
  • DeKalb County
  • Greene County
  • Gwinnett County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Loganville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Norris Lake Shores
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Norris Lake Shores is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris Lake Shores
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 59 people
    • Centerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Grayson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Twin Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Twin Village is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Village
    • Snellville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Robin Ridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Robin Ridge is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robin Ridge
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,170 people
    • Stonemont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Stonemont is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonemont
      • Estimated population in 2019: 6,281 people
    • Broxton Woods
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Broxton Woods is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broxton Woods
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,196 people
    • Dacula
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lawrenceville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mountain Park is located in Gwinnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Whitehouse
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Whitehouse is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,792 people
    • McDonough
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Highland Village is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
    • Blacksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Blacksville is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksville
    • Tunis ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tunis is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunis
      • Estimated population in 2019: 910 people
    • Stockbridge North
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Stockbridge North is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockbridge North
      • Estimated population in 2019: 29,904 people
    • Stockbridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Talasee ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Talasee is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talasee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 848 people
    • Attica
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Arcade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Arcade is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,040 people
    • Hoschton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Calvin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Calvin is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
      • Estimated population in 2019: 126 people
    • Shady Dale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Monticello
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Morgan County
  • Newton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Hub Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East Wood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • East Wood is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Wood
      • Estimated population in 2019: 6,725 people
    • Dixie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dixie Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dixie Village is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie Village
    • Essex Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Essex Village is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Village
    • Oxford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Mansfield Estates
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Mansfield Estates is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield Estates
      • Estimated population in 2019: 442 people
    • Mansfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Newborn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Covington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Newton Woods
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Newton Woods is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Woods
      • Estimated population in 2019: 575 people
    • Porterdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Oconee County
  • Putnam County
  • Rockdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Social Circle, with the one closest to Social Circle listed first.
    • Zingara
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Milstead
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Milstead is located in Rockdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milstead
      • Estimated population in 2018: 39,217 people
    • Conyers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Lakeview Estates
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Lakeview Estates is located in Rockdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Estates

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

Cemeteries Near Social Circle ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Social Circle.

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 Social Circle - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Social Circle had a population of 737 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Social Circle had a population of 4,630 people.

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

  • Alcovy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Alcovy is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcovy
  • Whitney
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Rutledge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Jersey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Oxford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Fairplay
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Fairplay is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplay
  • Covington
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Starrsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Starrsville is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starrsville
  • Newborn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Reese
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Reese is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
  • Monroe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Walnut Grove
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Walnut Grove is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,367 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dorsey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Dorsey is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
    • Good Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Almon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Almon is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almon

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Social Circle ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Social Circle.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Social Circle. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Social Circle and those printed in the larger area surrounding Social Circle.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4> of Social Circle.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Social Circle:

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 Social Circle, 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 from Point A (ie- Social Circle) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.