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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 Brockton (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 Brockton. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Brockton is located in Florence 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 Florence County: Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Lee, Marion, Marlboro & Williamsburg.

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

  • Florence County     (The home county of Brockton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Ebenezer
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
      • Ebenezer is located in Florence County
    • Timmonsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Florence
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Siesta Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siesta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Village
      • Siesta Village is located in Florence County
    • Jones Crossroads
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Crossroads
      • Jones Crossroads is located in Florence County
    • Quinby
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Park City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Florence County
    • Tara Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tara Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Village
      • Tara Village is located in Florence County
    • Danwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danwood
      • Danwood is located in Florence County
    • Sardis
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sardis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
      • Sardis is located in Florence County
    • Cartersville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartersville
      • Cartersville is located in Florence County
    • Cusac Crossroads
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusac Crossroads
      • Cusac Crossroads is located in Florence County
    • Effingham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Chesterfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Patrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • McBee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBee
      • McBee is located in Chesterfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McBee <1>
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Turbeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • New Zion
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Sardinia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Crossroads
      • Union Crossroads is located in Clarendon County
    • Gable
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Darlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Alexander Crossroads
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Crossroads
      • Alexander Crossroads is located in Darlington County
    • Palmetto
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmetto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
      • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
    • Syracuse
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
    • Pine Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Darlington County
    • Darlington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lamar
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Darlington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamar <1>
    • Dovesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dovesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
      • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
    • Mont Clare
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
      • Mont Clare is located in Darlington County
    • Lydia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hartsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • North Hartsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Hartsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hartsville
      • North Hartsville is located in Darlington County
    • Prestwood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prestwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestwood Village
      • Prestwood Village is located in Darlington County
    • Pine Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Pine Ridge is located in Darlington County
  • Dillon County
    • Latta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Kershaw County
    • Bethune
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Lynchburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Atkins
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atkins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Lee County
    • Alcot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcot
      • Alcot is located in Lee County
    • Elliott
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Bishopville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Manville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manville
      • Manville is located in Lee County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Laughlin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laughlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
      • Laughlin is located in Marion County
    • Sellers
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Tabernacle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabernacle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
      • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
    • Marion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Marlboro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Brownsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Marlboro County
    • Drake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
      • Drake is located in Marlboro County
    • Blenheim
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Hobbs Crossroads
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Crossroads
      • Hobbs Crossroads is located in Sumter County
    • Shiloh
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiloh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Sumter County
    • Mayesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Oswego
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswego
      • Oswego is located in Sumter County
    • East Sumter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sumter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sumter
      • East Sumter is located in Sumter County
    • Mulberry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Sumter County
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brockton, with the one closest to Brockton listed first.
    • Moore Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Crossroads
      • Moore Crossroads is located in Williamsburg County
    • Terrell Crossroad
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrell Crossroad
      • Terrell Crossroad is located in Williamsburg County
    • Cades
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Brockton ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brockton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brockton, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brockton.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Brockton:

Cemeteries Near Brockton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brockton.

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

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

  • Florence Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Florence Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Florence Memorial Gardens
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anderson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson Cemetery
  • Sansbury Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • James Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sunset Memory Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memory Gardens
  • Lake Swamp Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Peniel Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Garner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garner Cemetery
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Cannon Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cannon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cannon Cemetery
  • Quarters Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (273 more) ...
    • Florence National Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Fraternity Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fraternity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fraternity Cemetery
    • North Vista Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Vista Cemetery

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

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

  • Ebenezer
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • Ebenezer is located in Florence County
  • Timmonsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Palmetto
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmetto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
    • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
  • Syracuse
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
    • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
  • Florence
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Philadelphia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
  • Howe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
    • Howe is located in Florence County
  • Cartersville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartersville
    • Cartersville is located in Florence County
  • Sardis
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sardis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Sardis is located in Florence County
  • Lamar
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
    • Lamar is located in Darlington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamar <1>
  • Effingham
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mars Bluff
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mars Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
    • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Floyd
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floyd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
      • Floyd is located in Darlington County
    • Oats
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oats have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oats
      • Oats is located in Darlington County
    • Lynchburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)

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

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

The official website for Florence County: www.florenceco.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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Brockton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brockton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.1849, Longitude: -79.8806       In this case, the coordinates for Brockton 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 Brockton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024