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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 Bowyer (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 Bowyer. 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 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.

Bowyer is located in Orangeburg 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 Orangeburg County: Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester & Lexington.

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

  • Orangeburg County     (The home county of Bowyer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Holly Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Wells
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Wells is located in Orangeburg County
    • Eutawville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Town
      • Green Town is located in Orangeburg County
    • Possum Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possum Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
      • Possum Town is located in Orangeburg County
    • Vance
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
    • Santee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Parler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
      • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
    • Bowman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Elloree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Branchville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Sixty Six
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sixty Six
      • Sixty Six is located in Orangeburg County
  • Berkeley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Sandridge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
      • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
    • Cross
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Washington Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washington Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Town
      • Washington Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Pinopolis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Judge Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Judge Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judge Town
      • Judge Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Moncks Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Pineville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Region Town ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Region Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Region Town
      • Region Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Highland Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
      • Highland Village is located in Berkeley County
    • Bonneau
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Russellville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Caromi Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caromi Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caromi Village
      • Caromi Village is located in Berkeley County
    • Ladson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Creston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
      • Creston is located in Calhoun County
    • Cameron
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Charleston County
    • Lincolnville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnville
      • Lincolnville is located in Charleston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,624 people
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Summerton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Shad Moss village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shad Moss village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
    • Davis Station
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Panola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Panola is located in Clarendon County
    • Jordan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
    • Silver
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver
      • Silver is located in Clarendon County
    • Manning
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Paxville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Colleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Canadys
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sidney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Colleton County
    • Johnsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
      • Johnsville is located in Colleton County
    • Cottageville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Round O
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Drigger Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drigger Crossroads
      • Drigger Crossroads is located in Colleton County
    • Smoaks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ruffin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Williams
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bowyer, with the one closest to Bowyer listed first.
    • Harleyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Dorchester
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Saint George
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Reevesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgeville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Dorchester County
    • Flowertown Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowertown Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowertown Village
      • Flowertown Village is located in Dorchester County
    • Summerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Chandler Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chandler Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Village
      • Chandler Village is located in Dorchester County
  • Sumter County
    • Pinewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Bowyer ...

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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bowyer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bowyer, 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 Bowyer.

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 Bowyer:

Cemeteries Near Bowyer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bowyer.

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

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

  • Holly Hill First Pentecostal Holiness Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Holly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Spring Branch Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Branch Cemetery
  • Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Southern Methodist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pratt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pratt Cemetery
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pratt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pratt Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
  • Joiner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joiner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joiner Cemetery
  • Joiner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joiner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joiner Cemetery
  • Felder Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felder Cemetery
  • Liberty Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (231 more) ...
    • Moorer Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dantzler - Hart Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dantzler - Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dantzler - Hart Cemetery
    • Indian Field UMC Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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 Bowyer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bowyer.

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

  • Holly Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Connors ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Connors have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connors
    • Connors is located in Orangeburg County
  • Wells
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
    • Wells is located in Orangeburg County
  • Harleyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Sandridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
    • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
  • Vance
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
  • Dantzler
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dantzler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dantzler
    • Dantzler is located in Orangeburg County
  • Felderville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felderville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felderville
    • Felderville is located in Orangeburg County
  • Parler
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
    • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
  • Reevesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ridgeville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Bowman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Eadytown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eadytown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eadytown
      • Eadytown is located in Berkeley County
    • Elloree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Long Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Ridge
      • Long Ridge is located in Berkeley County

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

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

The official website for Orangeburg County: www.orangeburgcounty.org/

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

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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bowyer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bowyer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3063, Longitude: -80.4204       In this case, the coordinates for Bowyer have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Bowyer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024