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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 Waycross (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 Waycross. 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 Waycross ...

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 have occurred.

Another variation: Way Cross.

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 hospitals 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.

Waycross is primarily located in Ware County and is the County Seat. A portion of Waycross extends into Pierce County.

To see how the shape of Georgia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ware County: Baker (FL), Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee & Pierce.

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

  • Ware County     (The home county of Waycross)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Sunnyside
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
      • Sunnyside is located in Ware County
    • Deenwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deenwood
      • Deenwood is located in Ware County
    • Winona Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona Park
      • Winona Park is located in Ware County
    • Emerson Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson Park
      • Emerson Park is located in Ware County
    • Jamestown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ware County
    • Waltertown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
      • Waltertown is located in Ware County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
      • Waltertown has also been known as:
      • Watertown
    • Ruskin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruskin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
      • Ruskin is located in Ware County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,203 people
    • Waresboro
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Talmo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmo
      • Talmo is located in Ware County
    • Manor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
      • Manor is located in Ware County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <2>
    • Millwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Atkinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Axson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Pearson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Bacon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Coffee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
    • Alma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Bacon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,336 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <2>
    • Guysie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guysie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
  • Brantley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Hoboken
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Nahunta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Raybon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raybon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raybon
      • Raybon is located in Brantley County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,094 people
    • Hortense
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Charlton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Winokur
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winokur
      • Winokur is located in Charlton County
    • Mattox ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattox
      • Mattox is located in Charlton County
  • Clinch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Argyle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Cogdell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cogdell
      • Cogdell is located in Clinch County
    • Homerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chauncey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chauncey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chauncey
      • Chauncey is located in Clinch County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 326 people
  • Coffee County
    • Nicholls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Blackshear
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Patterson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mershon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Bristol
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Offerman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Wayne County
    • Screven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Waycross ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waycross.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Waycross. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Waycross and those printed in the larger area surrounding Waycross.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Waycross.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Waycross:

Cemeteries Near Waycross ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waycross.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Lott Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lott Cemetery
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
  • Hazzard Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hazzard Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hazzard Hill Cemetery
  • Red Oak Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Oak Cemetery
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Kettle Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Ben James Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ben James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ben James Cemetery
  • Crestwood Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crestwood Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crestwood Memorial Gardens
  • Barner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barner Cemetery
  • Waters Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waters Cemetery
  • Greenlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenlawn Cemetery
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Cemetery
  • Continue List   (138 more) ...
    • Enon Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enon Cemetery
    • Nunn Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nunn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nunn Cemetery
    • Rehobeth Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rehobeth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rehobeth Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Waycross had a population of 3,364 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Waycross had a population of 13,466 people.

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

  • Needham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
    • Needham is located in Ware County
  • Waltertown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
    • Waltertown is located in Ware County
    • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
    • Waltertown has also been known as:
    • Watertown
  • Waresboro
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Braganza
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Braganza have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braganza
    • Braganza is located in Ware County
  • Blackshear
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Glenmore
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
    • Glenmore is located in Ware County
  • Manor
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
    • Manor is located in Ware County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <2>
  • Beach
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Beach is located in Ware County
  • Patterson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Millwood
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Racepond
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Racepond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racepond
    • Racepond is located in Charlton County
  • Offerman
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Bickley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bickley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bickley
      • Bickley is located in Ware County
    • Nahunta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hortense
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)

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

The official website for Waycross: www.waycrossga.com/

The official website for Ware County: www.warecounty.com/

The official website for State of Georgia: https://georgia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Waycross) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Waycross. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2134, Longitude: -82.3542    
<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 Waycross, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024