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 Wilmington Island (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 Wilmington Island. 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 Wilmington Island ...
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 Wilmington Island: Wilmington Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
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 and hospitals 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.
Wilmington Island is located in Chatham 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 Chatham County: Bryan, Effingham & Jasper (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Wilmington Island. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wilmington Island:
- Chatham County (The home county of Wilmington Island)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Golden Isles
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Whitemarsh Island
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Whitemarsh Island is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitemarsh Island
- Isle of Armstrong
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Isle of Armstrong is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle of Armstrong
- Population from the 2010 Census: 2,402 people
- Thunderbolt
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bona Bella
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bona Bella is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bona Bella
- Isle of Hope
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Isle of Hope is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle of Hope
- Skidaway Island
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Skidaway Island is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidaway Island
- Fort Screven
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Fort Screven is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Screven
- Tybee Island
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Robert M Hitch Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Savannah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Abercorn Heights
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Abercorn Heights is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abercorn Heights
- Vernonburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Vernonburg is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Bryan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Fort McAllister
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fort McAllister is located in Bryan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McAllister
- Keller
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Keller is located in Bryan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Richmond Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Effingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Exley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Exley is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exley
- Population from the 2010 Census: 2,894 people
- Rincon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Meldrim
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Eden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marlow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Marlow is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
- Liberty County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Sunbury
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Fleming
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Midway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Beaufort County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Daufuskie Island
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harbour Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harbour Town is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Town
- Point Comfort
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Point Comfort is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Comfort
- Pritchardville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Pritchardville is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pritchardville
- Bluffton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Hardeeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Okatie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hilton Head Island
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Battery Marina Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Battery Marina Village is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battery Marina Village
- Shell Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shell Point is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Point
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wilmington Island, see our County-by-County Page for Wilmington Island.
Cemeteries Near Wilmington Island ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wilmington Island.
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 Wilmington Island - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wilmington Island covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Old Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Greenwich Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Greenwich Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of Savannah.
- Forest Lawn Memory Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn Memory Gardens
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Lawn Memory Gardens is located outside and to the southeast of Savannah.
- Crest Lawn Memory Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Savannah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bonaventure Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonaventure Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bonaventure Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Savannah.
- The Bonaventure Cemetery has also been known as:
- Evergreen Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #32916 <2>
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Guinea Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Tybee Memorial Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Hillcrest Abbey East Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hillcrest Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (109 more) ...
- Colonial Park Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Grove North Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Grove North Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Laurel Grove North Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Savannah.
- The Laurel Grove North Cemetery has also been known as:
- Laurel Grove Cemetery (North)
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #34923 <2>
- Mary Field Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
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>
While we didn't find Wilmington Island in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wilmington Island.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wilmington Island, with the one closest to Wilmington Island listed first.
- Isle of Hope
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Isle of Hope is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle of Hope
- Tybee Island
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Savannah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Wheat Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wheat Hill is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheat Hill
- Central Junction
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Central Junction is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Junction
- Pritchardville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Pritchardville is located in Beaufort County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pritchardville
- Burroughs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Burroughs is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burroughs
- Bluffton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Monteith
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Monteith is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monteith
- Pooler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Meinhard
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Meinhard is located in Chatham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meinhard
- Keller
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Keller is located in Bryan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Continue List (9 more) ...
- Hardeeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hilton Head Island
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Okatie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wilmington Island. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wilmington Island.
Newspapers Published in Wilmington Island ...
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 178 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wilmington Island.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wilmington Island, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wilmington Island.
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 Wilmington Island:
- Websites specific to Georgia
- Pages specific to Chatham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bryan County
- Effingham County
- Liberty County
- Beaufort County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Georgia
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 Wilmington Island, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Wilmington Island) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |