Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Bethel. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Bethel to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bethel, 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 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 doctors and 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Bethel is historic, it would have been located within present day York 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 York County: Cleveland (NC), Gaston (NC), Mecklenburg (NC), Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster & Union.
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:
- York County (The home county of Bethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Bowling Green
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clover
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lake Wylie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Filbert
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Filbert is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
- Zadok ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Zadok is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
- Newport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Tega Cay
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- India Hook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- India Hook is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
- York
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Riverview is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Fort Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sharon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Kings Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Blacksburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- East Gaffney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Gaffney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Smith
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Smith is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Edgemoor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Lowrys
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Lowrys is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Lando
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Eureka Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
- Cabal
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cabal is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabal
- Chester
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Richburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gayle Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Camp Cox
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Camp Cox is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Cox
- Colonial Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Colonial Village is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Indian Land
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Springdell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Springdell is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdell
- Van Wyck
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Caskey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Caskey is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caskey
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Lockhart
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bailey Town ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bailey Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Cleveland County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Kings Mountain
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Elbethel ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elbethel is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbethel
- White Plains
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- White Plains is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Grover
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Durbro ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Durbro is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbro
- Pleasant Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Stony Point
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Stony Point is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Light Oak
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Light Oak is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light Oak
- Patterson Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Patterson Springs is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
- Earl
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Earl is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
- Elizabeth City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Elizabeth City is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth City
- Stubbs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Stubbs is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Waco
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Waco is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
- Gaston County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Begonia ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
- South Gastonia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- South Gastonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
- Catawba ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Catawba is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
- Cramerton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gastonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lowell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- McAdenville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Belmont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ranlo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- Smyre
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Brown Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brown Town is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Dallas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bessemer City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Crouse
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Iron Station
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Lowesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lowesville is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
- Machpelah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Boger City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Lincolnton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- Westport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Westport is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Denver
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mecklenburg County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Dixie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dixie is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Pineville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Yorkmont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Yorkmont is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkmont
- Dalton Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dalton Village is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Village
- Pinecrest
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pinecrest is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecrest
- Paw Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Paw Creek is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Creek
- Wilmore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmore is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
- Biddleville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
- Charlotte
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Chateau Woods
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Chateau Woods is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Woods
- Chantilly
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Chantilly is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chantilly
- Greenville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Greenville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Belmont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Union County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Marvin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Marvin is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
- White Oak
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- White Oak is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Wesley Chapel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Waxhaw
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Trail
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stallings
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mineral Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jaars
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jaars is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaars
- Hemby Bridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hemby Bridge is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemby Bridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,846 people
- Lake Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lake Park is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,999 people
- Jackson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
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.
- Mill Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bowling Green Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clover Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lakeview Memory Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fishing Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- O'Zion AME Zion Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Union Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Hills Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Firestone Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Smith Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (244 more) ...
- Cramerton Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gaston Memorial Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Gaston Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Gastonia (NC).
- The Gaston Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Gaston Memorial Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #47448 <3>
- Firestone Memorial Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.
Bethel itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 29 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Begonia ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
- Bowling Green
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clover
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Filbert
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Filbert is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
- Zadok ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Zadok is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
- Tirzah
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tirzah is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tirzah
- Belmont ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Belmont is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Newport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Bethany
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Bethany is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
- India Hook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- India Hook is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
- Steel Creek ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Steel Creek is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel Creek
- Gastonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Belmont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- McAdenville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lowell
(11 miles [17.7 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 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 14 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 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. 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 like to start with 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 Bethel:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to York County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Chester County
- Lancaster County
- Union County
- Cleveland County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- Mecklenburg County
- Union County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things 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'. |