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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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 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.
Bethel is located in Abbeville 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 Abbeville County: Elbert (GA), Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens & McCormick.
Below are the counties that are near Bethel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethel:
- Abbeville County (The home county of Bethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Abbeville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cana ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cana is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cana
- Monterey ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Monterey is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Calhoun Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Latimer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Latimer is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimer
- Due West
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Level Land
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Level Land is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Land
- Antreville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Antreville is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antreville
- Lake Secession
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Secession is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Secession
- Lowndesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Donalds
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Ware Shoals
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Honea Path
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Iva
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Iva is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iva <1>
- Starr
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Deans
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Deans is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deans
- Belton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Homeland Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Homeland Park is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland Park
- Anderson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Caldwell Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Caldwell Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell Village
- Holland Store
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Holland Store is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland Store
- Holland Store has also been known as:
- Hollands
- Greenwood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Verdery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Verdery is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdery
- Promised Land
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Promised Land is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Promised Land
- Bradley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Troy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mathews Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
- Panola Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
- Greenwood Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
- Greenwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grendel Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
- Hodges
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cokesbury
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
- Fairforest
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Fairforest is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairforest
- Coronaca
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Collins Lakeside Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Gallagher
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Gallagher is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gallagher
- Waterloo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ekom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ekom is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekom
- Anglers Haven
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Anglers Haven is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anglers Haven
- Princeton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Cross Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cold Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cold Point is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
- Simpson ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Simpson is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Mountville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- McCormick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Mount Carmel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Willington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Willington is located in McCormick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willington
- McCormick
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Liberty Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Hill is located in McCormick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
- Plum Branch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Parksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Modoc
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Newberry County
- Chappells
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Elbert County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Bowman Ferry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bowman Ferry is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowman Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 808 people
- Edinburg ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Edinburg is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinburg
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,396 people
- Silk Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Silk Mills is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silk Mills
- Estimated population in 2019: 277 people
- Elberton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Harmony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Harmony is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Centerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Centerville is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Goss
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Goss is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
- Hart County (GA)
- Dooleys Ferry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleys Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 136 people
- Lincoln County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Hesters Ferry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hesters Ferry is located in Lincoln County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesters Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 911 people
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lisbon is located in Lincoln County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Goshen
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Goshen is located in Lincoln County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Midway
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Midway is located in Lincoln County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Lincolnton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Loce
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Loce is located in Lincoln County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loce
- Wilkes County (GA)
- Tignall
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethel, see our County-by-County Page for Bethel.
Cemeteries Near Bethel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.
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 Bethel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Lebanon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bethiah Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sharon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Trinity Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Forest Lawn Memory Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hobson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Melrose Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Calhoun Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chisholm Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lyon - Lipford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (232 more) ...
- Old Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Little Adams Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Upper Long Cane Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find Bethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Cana ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cana is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cana
- Watts
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Watts is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
- Calhoun Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Calhoun Mill is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun Mill
- Darraugh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Darraugh is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darraugh
- Bradley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dover ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dover is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Monterey ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Monterey is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Mount Carmel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Troy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Calhoun Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hester is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Latimer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Latimer is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimer
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Greenwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Due West
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Hodges
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethel.
Newspapers Published in Bethel ...
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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Bethel:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Abbeville County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Greenwood County
- Laurens County
- McCormick County
- Newberry County
- Elbert County
- Hart County
- Lincoln County
- Wilkes County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |