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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 Staffords Ferry (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 Staffords Ferry. 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 Staffords Ferry ...

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.

While the name of this community is Staffords Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Staffords Ferry may originally have been Stafford's Ferry.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Staffords Ferry might be written as Stafford Ferry.

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 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.

Staffords Ferry is located in Tattnall 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 Tattnall County: Appling, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Liberty, Long, Toombs & Wayne.

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

  • Tattnall County     (The home county of Staffords Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Glennville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mendes
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Mendes is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendes
      • Estimated population in 2019: 456 people
    • Reidsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Midway
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Tattnall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Estimated population in 2019: 657 people
    • Manassas
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Collins
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Cobbtown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • 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 <2>
  • Appling County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Surrency
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Baxley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Phillipi
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Phillipi is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipi
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 707 people
    • Graham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Coffee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
    • Alma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <2>
  • Evans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Bellville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hagan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Claxton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Daisy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Jeff Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 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
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Gum Branch
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Walthourville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Allenhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Cherokee Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cherokee Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
    • Fort Stewart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Hinesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Pineview
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Bryan Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan Village
    • Doe Run Estates
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Garden Acres
      (29 miles [46.7 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
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Tupelo Trail
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Flemington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Long County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Donald
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Donald is located in Long County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,466 people
    • Ludowici
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Alston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Uvalda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Petross
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Petross is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petross
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Mershon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Offerman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Toombs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Toombs Central
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Toombs Central is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toombs Central
      • Estimated population in 2019: 486 people
    • Cedar Crossing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Crossing is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crossing
    • Ohoopee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ohoopee is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohoopee
    • Rock Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rock Springs is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
    • Santa Claus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Santa Claus is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Claus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Lyons
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Staffords Ferry, with the one closest to Staffords Ferry listed first.
    • Madray Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Madray Springs is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madray Springs
    • Odum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Doctortown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
    • Jesup
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Screven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Pendarvis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pendarvis is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendarvis
      • Estimated population in 2019: 562 people

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

Cemeteries Near Staffords Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Staffords Ferry.

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 Staffords Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Thompson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Moody - Tillman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody - Tillman Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Moody - Tillman Cemetery is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<3> to the northeast of Surrency.
    • The Moody - Tillman Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Blantons Chapel Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #35427 <4>
  • Matlock Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Stanfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Easons Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • O'Quinn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hopewell UMC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Warren Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Padgett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Woods Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (273 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.<5>

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

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

  • Tison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Tison is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tison
  • Surrency
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Brentwood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Brentwood is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
  • Altamaha
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Altamaha is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha
    • Former name for Altamaha:
    • Atamaha
  • Glennville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wheaton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wheaton is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
  • Odum
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Birdford ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Birdford is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdford
  • Baxley
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Reidsville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • English Eddy
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • English Eddy is located in Toombs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Eddy
  • Prentiss
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Prentiss is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Jesup
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Doctortown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Doctortown is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doctortown
    • Ritch
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • 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 Staffords Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Staffords Ferry.

Newspapers Published in Staffords Ferry ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Staffords Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Staffords Ferry, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Staffords Ferry.

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 Staffords Ferry:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Staffords Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<5>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 Staffords Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.