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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Ada. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Ada to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Ada, please Contact Us.

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 Ada (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 Ada. 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.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Ada is historic, it would have been located within present day Union County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Union County: Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Laurens, Newberry, Spartanburg & York.

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

  • Union County     (The home county of Ada)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
      • Red Town is located in Union County
    • Delta
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
      • Delta is located in Union County
    • Sartor Town
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartor Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
    • Tuckertown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
      • Tuckertown is located in Union County
    • Carlisle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meador have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
      • Meador is located in Union County
    • Union
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sedalia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Union County
    • Bishop Town ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
      • Bishop Town is located in Union County
    • Buffalo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lockhart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Bonham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bonham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
      • Bonham is located in Union County
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Cabal
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabal
      • Cabal is located in Chester County
    • Gayle Mill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gayle Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
      • Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
    • Cornwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cornwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
      • Cornwell is located in Chester County
    • Chester
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Blackstock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Eureka Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
      • Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
    • Lowrys
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowrys have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
      • Lowrys is located in Chester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Smith
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
      • Smith is located in Chester County
    • Richburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Blair
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Monticello
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
    • Woodward
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Woodward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
      • Woodward is located in Fairfield County
    • Adger
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
      • Adger is located in Fairfield County
    • White Oak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Jenkinsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
    • Winnsboro Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
      • Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
    • Winnsboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Laurens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Renno
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
      • Renno is located in Laurens County
    • Dover ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Laurens County
    • Joanna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Kinards
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Clinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Tylersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
      • Tylersville is located in Laurens County
    • Mountville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Laurens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lisbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Laurens County
  • Lexington County
    • Chapin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
      • Chapin is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chapin <4>
  • Newberry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Whitmire
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Glymphville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glymphville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
      • Glymphville is located in Newberry County
    • Sondleys ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sondleys have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
      • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
    • Helena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Newberry County
    • Newberry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Union
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Newberry County
    • Pomaria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Smyrna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Prosperity
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Slighs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
      • Slighs is located in Newberry County
    • Peak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak
      • Peak is located in Newberry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peak <4>
    • Little Mountain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Spartanburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Cross Anchor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Enoree
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Central Pacolet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Pacolet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Pacolet
      • Central Pacolet is located in Spartanburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Pacolet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacolet
      • Pacolet is located in Spartanburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,604 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pacolet <4>
    • Pauline
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Pacolet Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • White Stone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Camp Croft
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Croft
      • Camp Croft is located in Spartanburg County
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ada, with the one closest to Ada listed first.
    • Hopewell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hopewell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Hopewell is located in York County
    • Blairsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
      • Blairsville is located in York County
    • McConnells
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sharon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hickory Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Ada ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ada.

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 Ada covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Rogers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rogers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rogers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sims Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sims Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sims Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cane Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cane Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cane Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gilliams Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilliams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilliams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Otterson Fort Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otterson Fort Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otterson Fort Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rogers Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rogers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rogers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cane Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cane Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cane Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kellys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kellys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kellys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jeter Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jeter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jeter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cane Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cane Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cane Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (311 more) ...
    • Fant Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fant Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cold Well Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cold Well Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cold Well Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lee Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.

Ada itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Delta
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
    • Delta is located in Union County
  • Goshen Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Hill
    • Goshen Hill is located in Union County
  • Carlisle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Santuc
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Santuc have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santuc
    • Santuc is located in Union County
  • Whitmire
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Shelton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelton
    • Shelton is located in Fairfield County
  • Herbert
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herbert have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
    • Herbert is located in Union County
  • Maybinton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maybinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maybinton
    • Maybinton is located in Newberry County
  • Leeds
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
    • Leeds is located in Chester County
  • Meador ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meador have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
    • Meador is located in Union County
  • Lylesford ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lylesford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lylesford
    • Lylesford is located in Fairfield County
  • Feasterville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Feasterville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feasterville
    • Feasterville is located in Fairfield County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Union
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sedalia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Union County
    • Blair
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Ada ...

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 Ada.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ada, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ada.

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 Ada:

The official website for Union County: www.countyofunion.com/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Ada, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Ada) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ada. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5662, Longitude: -81.5284       In this case, the coordinates for Ada have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025