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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 Briars (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 Briars. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Briars is located in Beaufort 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 Beaufort County: Colleton, Hampton & Jasper.

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

  • Beaufort County     (The home county of Briars)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briars, with the one closest to Briars listed first.
    • Dale
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Lobeco
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Seabrook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheldon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Tomotley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tomotley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomotley
      • Tomotley is located in Beaufort County
    • Beaufort
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Polk Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polk Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk Village
      • Polk Village is located in Beaufort County
    • Laurel Bay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Bay
      • Laurel Bay is located in Beaufort County
    • Burton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Yemassee
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sangster Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sangster Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangster Village
      • Sangster Village is located in Beaufort County
    • Port Royal
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Charleston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briars, with the one closest to Briars listed first.
    • Adams Run
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Canady Landing ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canady Landing
      • Canady Landing is located in Charleston County
    • Edisto Island
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Hollywood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Meggett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Rockville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
      • Rockville is located in Charleston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
    • Ravenel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Colleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briars, with the one closest to Briars listed first.
    • White Hall
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Hall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
      • White Hall is located in Colleton County
    • Green Pond
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ritter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ritter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
      • Ritter is located in Colleton County
    • Drawdy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drawdy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawdy
      • Drawdy is located in Colleton County
    • Jacksonboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Edisto Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edisto Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edisto Beach
      • Edisto Beach is located in Colleton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 402 people
    • Walterboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Sniders Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sniders Crossroads
      • Sniders Crossroads is located in Colleton County
    • Drigger Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drigger Crossroads
      • Drigger Crossroads is located in Colleton County
    • Round O
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Islandton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottageville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briars, with the one closest to Briars listed first.
    • Barkerville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkerville
      • Barkerville is located in Hampton County
      • Barkerville has also been known as:
      • Haywardville
    • Early Branch
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Varnville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Furman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Hampton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briars, with the one closest to Briars listed first.
    • Ridgeland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Tillman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Pineland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Briars ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Briars.

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

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

  • Bethel UMC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Myrtle Grove Plantation Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Hill at Laurel Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill at Laurel Springs
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill at Laurel Springs came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<5>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2552060 <4>
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaufort National Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Citizens Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Citizens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Citizens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coosaw Island Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coosaw Island Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coosaw Island Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laurel Bay Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Bay Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Bay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaufort Memorial Gardens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (128 more) ...
    • Tabernacle Baptist Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Reynolds Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reynolds Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reynolds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Republican Hall Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Republican Hall Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Republican Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<6>

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

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

  • Dale
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Coosaw
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coosaw have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosaw
    • Coosaw is located in Beaufort County
  • Sheldon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Tomotley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tomotley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomotley
    • Tomotley is located in Beaufort County
  • Beaufort
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • White Hall
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Hall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
    • White Hall is located in Colleton County
  • Salkehatchie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salkehatchie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salkehatchie
    • Salkehatchie is located in Colleton County
  • Green Pond
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Yemassee
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Port Royal
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Ashepoo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashepoo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashepoo
    • Ashepoo is located in Colleton County
  • Frogmore
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frogmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogmore
    • Frogmore is located in Beaufort County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hendersonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendersonville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendersonville
      • Hendersonville is located in Colleton County
    • Ritter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ritter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
      • Ritter is located in Colleton County
    • Davidson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidson
      • Davidson is located in Hampton County

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

Newspapers Published in Briars ...

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 Briars.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Briars, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Briars.

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 Briars:

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

The official website for Beaufort County: www.co.beaufort.sc.us/

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>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.
<3>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.
<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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<6>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 Briars, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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 from Point A (ie- Briars) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Briars. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.5813, Longitude: -80.6993       In this case, the coordinates for Briars have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 30 Mar 2025