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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 Belsers Crossroads (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 Belsers Crossroads. 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 Belsers Crossroads ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Belsers Crossroads: Belsers Xrds.
  • While the name of this community is Belsers Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Belsers Crossroads may originally have been Belser's Crossroads.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Belsers Crossroads might be written as Belser Crossroads.

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 southwest 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 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.

Belsers Crossroads is located in Williamsburg County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Williamsburg County: Berkeley, Clarendon, Florence, Georgetown & Marion.

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

  • Williamsburg County     (The home county of Belsers Crossroads)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Kingstree
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Salters
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Greeleyville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lane
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Lane is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lane <2>
    • Cades
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Terrell Crossroad
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Terrell Crossroad is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrell Crossroad
    • Moore Crossroads
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Moore Crossroads is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Crossroads
    • Indiantown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Indiantown is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indiantown
    • Nesmith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Snow Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Snow Town is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Town
    • Stuckey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Stuckey is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuckey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Cedar Creek ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Creek is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Rome
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Rome is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
  • Berkeley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Saint Stephen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Judge Town
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Judge Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judge Town
    • Region Town ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Region Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Region Town
    • Pineville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Harris Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Harris Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Town
    • Russellville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Alvin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Alvin is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
    • Eadytown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Eadytown is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eadytown
    • Bonneau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Cross
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pinopolis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Wrangle Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Wrangle Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrangle Town
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Union Crossroads
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Union Crossroads is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Crossroads
    • New Zion
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gable
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sardinia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Turbeville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Jordan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Manning
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Shad Moss village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
    • Alcolu
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Davis Station
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Summerton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Paxville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Silver
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Silver is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver
  • Florence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Wren Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Wren Village is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren Village
    • Lake City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Olanta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Scranton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Salem is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Coward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Hannah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Hannah is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannah
    • Cusac Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Cusac Crossroads is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusac Crossroads
    • Friendfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Friendfield is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendfield
    • Sardis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Sardis is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Johnsonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Effingham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Jones Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jones Crossroads is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Crossroads
  • Georgetown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Andrews
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Willie Towne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Willie Towne is located in Georgetown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willie Towne
    • Allentown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Allentown is located in Georgetown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Atkins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Atkins is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
    • Lynchburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Orangeburg County
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belsers Crossroads, with the one closest to Belsers Crossroads listed first.
    • Shiloh
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Shiloh is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Hobbs Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Hobbs Crossroads is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Crossroads
    • Lakewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakewood is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Mayesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • East Sumter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • East Sumter is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sumter

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

Cemeteries Near Belsers Crossroads ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belsers Crossroads.

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 Belsers Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Crossroads Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Salters Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Kingstree Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Williamsburg Presbyterian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Williamsburg Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Beth Or Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Marion Memorial Garden Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Easley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easley Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Easley Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Greeleyville.
    • The Easley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bradshaw Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2484801 <4>
  • Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • McClary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • McClary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (231 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Belsers Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Belsers Crossroads.

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

  • Kingstree
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Salters
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Salters Depot
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Salters Depot is located in Williamsburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salters Depot
  • Mouzon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Mouzon is located in Williamsburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouzon
  • Greeleyville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lane
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lane is located in Williamsburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lane <2>
  • Foreston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Foreston is located in Clarendon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreston
  • Fowler
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Fowler is located in Williamsburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowler
  • Cades
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Trio
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Trio is located in Williamsburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trio
  • New Zion
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Stephen
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Cooper
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Cooper is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
    • Seloc
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Seloc is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seloc
    • Bloomingvale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Bloomingvale is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingvale

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

Newspapers Published in Belsers Crossroads ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belsers Crossroads.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belsers Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belsers Crossroads.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Belsers Crossroads:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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 '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- Belsers Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Belsers Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.