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 Briarwood (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 Briarwood. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Briarwood is located in Richland 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 Richland County: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry & Sumter.
Below are the counties that are near Briarwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Briarwood:
- Richland County (The home county of Briarwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Woodfield
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Woodfield is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
- Dentsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Arcadia Lakes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
- Ravenwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ravenwood is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
- Brickyard Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
- Belmont
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Forest Acres
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Acres is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
- Capitol View
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Capitol View is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
- Valencia Heights
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
- Blythewood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Columbia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Calhoun County
- Saint Matthews
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fairfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Smallwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
- Ridgeway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rion
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Winnsboro Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
- Winnsboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Jenkinsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Adger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Adger is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
- Monticello
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Monticello is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- White Oak
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mitford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mitford is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
- Kershaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Elgin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
- Lugoff
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Camden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Log Town ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Log Town is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
- Lafayette Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
- Shepard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shepard is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepard
- Liberty Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lancaster County
- Springdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lexington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- West Columbia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cayce
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Oaks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Arthur
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arthur is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Springdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Springdale is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Oak Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Irmo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Irmo is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <1>
- Pineridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pineridge is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
- Styx ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Styx is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
- Glenn Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Glenn Village is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Village
- South Congaree
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- South Congaree is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Congaree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,485 people
- Lexington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Newberry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Peak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Little Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Horatio
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Rembert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Claremont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Claremont is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Stateburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Stateburg is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
- Oakland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Oakland is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Sumter Junction
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sumter Junction is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter Junction
- Wedgefield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cherryvale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cherryvale is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryvale
- Dalzell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cane Savannah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Savannah is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Savannah
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Briarwood, see our County-by-County Page for Briarwood.
Cemeteries Near Briarwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Briarwood.
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 Briarwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Briarwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Enon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon Cemetery
- The Enon Cemetery has also been known as:
- Enon Church Cemetery
- Enon Methodist Church Cemetery
- Zion Canaan Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Arcadia Lakes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beulah Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Richland County Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- State Hospital Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Franklin Memorial Garden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ft. Jackson National Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pine Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (232 more) ...
- Spears Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Taylor Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Palmetto Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
While we didn't find Briarwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Briarwood.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Killian
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Killian is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
- Sharp
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sharp is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
- Columbia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Childs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Childs is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
- Pleasant ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant
- Cayce
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leaphart
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Leaphart is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaphart
- Hopkins
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Lever ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lever is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lever
- Arthur
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arthur is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Congaree
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Congaree is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congaree
- Bookman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bookman is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bookman
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Ridgeway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Spring Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Irmo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Irmo is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Briarwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Briarwood.
Newspapers Published in Briarwood ...
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 168 newspapers that have been published in the area around Briarwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Briarwood, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Briarwood.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Briarwood:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Richland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Fairfield County
- Kershaw County
- Lancaster County
- Lexington County
- Newberry County
- Sumter 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Briarwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Briarwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |