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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 Town Bluff 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 Town Bluff 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 Town Bluff 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Town Bluff Ferry: Town Blf. Ferry (or less commonly used: Town Bluf. 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 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.

Town Bluff Ferry is located in Jeff Davis 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 Jeff Davis County: Appling, Bacon, Coffee, Montgomery, Telfair, Toombs & Wheeler.

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

  • Jeff Davis County     (The home county of Town Bluff Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Tallahassee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tallahassee is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahassee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,185 people
    • Hazlehurst
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lumber City Ferry
      (9 miles [14.5 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
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Quinn is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinn
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,652 people
    • Kirkland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Kirkland is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
    • Denton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Appling County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Graham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
    • Baxley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Phillipi
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Phillipi is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipi
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 707 people
    • Surrency
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Alma
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • Guysie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
  • Coffee County
  • Emanuel County
    • Oak Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Laurens County
    • Cedar Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Uvalda
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Alston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Petross
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Petross is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petross
    • Ailey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Higgston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Higgston is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Tarrytown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Tattnall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Reidsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Collins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Telfair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Lumber City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Scotland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Helena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • McRae - Helena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • McRae
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • McRae is located in Telfair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRae
    • Jacksonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Toombs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Cedar Crossing
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Crossing is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Crossing
    • Rock Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock Springs is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
    • Toombs Central
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Toombs Central is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toombs Central
      • Estimated population in 2019: 486 people
    • Santa Claus
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Santa Claus is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Claus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Charles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Charles is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles
    • Vidalia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Lyons
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ohoopee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Ohoopee is located in Toombs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohoopee
  • Treutlen County
    • Soperton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Wheeler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Town Bluff Ferry, with the one closest to Town Bluff Ferry listed first.
    • Glenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Ochwalkee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ochwalkee is located in Wheeler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochwalkee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,732 people
    • Alamo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Alamo is located in Wheeler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alamo <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Town Bluff Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Town Bluff 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 Town Bluff Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Moseley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Lynn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rolland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Smyrna Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mobley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Dead River Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Conner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Wilcox andHall Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hester Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (344 more) ...
    • Partin Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Gibbs Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bazemore Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)

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 Town Bluff Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Town Bluff Ferry.

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

  • Johnsonville ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Johnsonville is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonville
  • Graham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Graham is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • English Eddy
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • English Eddy is located in Toombs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Eddy
  • Pine Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Pine Grove is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
  • Lumber City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Prentiss
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Prentiss is located in Appling County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
  • Towns
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Towns is located in Telfair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towns
  • Baxley
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Ailey
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • 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
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • McGregor
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • McGregor is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
  • Altamaha
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Altamaha is located in Tattnall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamaha
    • Former name for Altamaha:
    • Atamaha
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Higgston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Higgston is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Scotland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Wheaton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Wheaton is located in Appling County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton

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

Newspapers Published in Town Bluff 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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Town Bluff Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Town Bluff 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 Town Bluff 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 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 Town Bluff Ferry:

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 Town Bluff Ferry, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Town Bluff Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.