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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 Alvin (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 Alvin. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Alvin is located in Berkeley 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 Berkeley County: Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Orangeburg & Williamsburg.

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

  • Berkeley County     (The home county of Alvin)
  • Charleston County
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alvin, with the one closest to Alvin listed first.
    • Shad Moss village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shad Moss village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
    • Jordan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jordan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jordan
      • From Alvin to Jordan
  • Dorchester County
  • Georgetown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alvin, with the one closest to Alvin listed first.
    • Andrews
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sampit
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sampit. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampit
      • Sampit is located in Georgetown County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sampit
      • From Alvin to Sampit
    • Willie Towne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willie Towne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willie Towne
      • Willie Towne is located in Georgetown County
    • Georgetown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Steele Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steele Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Town
      • Steele Town is located in Georgetown County
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alvin, with the one closest to Alvin listed first.
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Eutawville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Possum Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possum Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
      • Possum Town is located in Orangeburg County
  • Williamsburg County

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

Cemeteries Near Alvin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alvin.

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

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

  • Edens Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Von Hollen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Von Hollen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Von Hollen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Betaw Plantation Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Betaw Plantation Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Betaw Plantation Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sutton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sutton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sutton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gravel Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gravel Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gravel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hoods Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoods Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoods Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Keller Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • Sunset Memorial Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Stephens Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephens Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Stephen Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Alvin had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Suttons
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suttons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttons
    • Suttons is located in Williamsburg County
  • Saint Stephen
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bonneau
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Macbeth
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macbeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macbeth
    • Macbeth is located in Berkeley County
  • Bethera
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Palmerville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerville
    • Palmerville is located in Berkeley County
  • Trio
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trio have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trio
    • Trio is located in Williamsburg County
  • Lane
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Earle
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Earle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earle
    • Earle is located in Williamsburg County
  • Moncks Corner
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Huger
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Honey Hill
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Hill
    • Honey Hill is located in Berkeley County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Salters Depot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salters Depot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salters Depot
      • Salters Depot is located in Williamsburg County
    • Salters
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bloomingvale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomingvale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingvale
      • Bloomingvale is located in Williamsburg County

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

Newspapers Published in Alvin ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alvin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alvin, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alvin.

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 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 Alvin:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alvin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Berkeley County: www.co.berkeley.sc.us/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.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>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>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 Alvin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alvin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alvin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3496, Longitude: -79.8166       In this case, the coordinates for Alvin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025