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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 Spring Branch (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 Spring Branch. 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 Spring Branch ...

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 Spring Branch: Spring Br. (or less commonly used: Spring Brnch.)

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

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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Spring Branch is located in Appling 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 Appling County: Bacon, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Tattnall, Toombs & Wayne.

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

  • Appling County     (The home county of Spring Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Baxley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Phillipi
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Phillipi is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipi
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 707 people
    • Graham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
    • Surrency
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Alma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Coffee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
    • Guysie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Nicholls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • West Green
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Evans County
    • Bellville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jeff Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Quinn is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinn
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,652 people
    • Tallahassee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Tallahassee is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahassee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,185 people
    • Hazlehurst
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Lumber City Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Lumber City Ferry is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,257 people
    • Denton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Kirkland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Kirkland is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
  • Long County
    • Donald
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Donald is located in Long County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,466 people
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Uvalda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Alston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Petross
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Petross is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petross
    • Higgston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Higgston is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Ailey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Mershon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Tattnall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Reidsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mendes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mendes is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendes
      • Estimated population in 2019: 456 people
    • Glennville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Collins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Manassas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Midway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Estimated population in 2019: 657 people
  • Telfair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Lumber City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Scotland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Toombs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Cedar Crossing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Crossing is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crossing
    • Toombs Central
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Toombs Central is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toombs Central
      • Estimated population in 2019: 486 people
    • Rock Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Rock Springs is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
    • Santa Claus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Santa Claus is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Claus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Ohoopee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ohoopee is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohoopee
    • Lyons
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Charles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Charles is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles
    • Vidalia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Odum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Madray Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
  • Wheeler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Branch, with the one closest to Spring Branch listed first.
    • Glenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ochwalkee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ochwalkee is located in Wheeler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochwalkee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,732 people

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

Cemeteries Near Spring Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spring Branch.

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 Spring Branch - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Moody Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Moody Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the north of Baxley.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #35419 <3>
  • Appling Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Omega Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Sellers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Old Field Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Benton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Sellers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Baxley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Moody Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Moody Cemetery is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<2> to the north of Baxley.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #35420 <3>
  • Bell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (317 more) ...
    • Deen Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery
      • The Crosby Chapel UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Crosby Cemetery
    • Deen Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Prentiss
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Prentiss is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
  • Baxley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Pine Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Pine Grove is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
  • Wheaton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wheaton is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
  • English Eddy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • English Eddy is located in Toombs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Eddy
  • Graham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Graham is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Johnsonville ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Johnsonville is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonville
  • Altamaha
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Altamaha is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha
    • Former name for Altamaha:
    • Atamaha
  • Surrency
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Brentwood
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Brentwood is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
  • Tison
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Tison is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tison
  • Lumber City
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Reidsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Odum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ritch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ritch is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritch

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

Newspapers Published in Spring Branch ...

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 Spring Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spring Branch, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spring Branch.

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 either 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 Spring Branch:

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Spring Branch) 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 Spring Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.