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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 Bush River (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 Bush River. 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.

Name Variations for Bush River ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bush River: Bush Riv.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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 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.

Bush River is located in Newberry 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 Newberry County: Fairfield, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, Richland, Saluda & Union.

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

  • Newberry County     (The home county of Bush River)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Smyrna
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Helena
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Newberry County
    • Silverstreet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Mudlick
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mudlick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudlick
      • Mudlick is located in Newberry County
    • Newberry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Old Town Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Ferry
      • Old Town Ferry is located in Newberry County
    • Chappells
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Union
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Newberry County
    • Sondleys ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sondleys have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
      • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
    • Whitmire
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Prosperity
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glymphville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glymphville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
      • Glymphville is located in Newberry County
  • Abbeville County
    • Ware Shoals
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Blair
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Monticello
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
    • Jenkinsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Rock Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Ninety Six
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Springdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Greenwood County
    • Coronaca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coronaca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
      • Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
    • Fairforest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairforest
      • Fairforest is located in Greenwood County
    • Grendel Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grendel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
      • Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Mathews Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mathews Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
      • Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Panola Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
      • Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Greenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Cokesbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cokesbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
      • Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
    • Greenwood Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
      • Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Hodges
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Promised Land
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Promised Land have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Promised Land
      • Promised Land is located in Greenwood County
  • Laurens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Kinards
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Joanna
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Dover ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Laurens County
    • Renno
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
      • Renno is located in Laurens County
    • Clinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Anglers Haven
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anglers Haven
      • Anglers Haven is located in Laurens County
    • Cross Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Mountville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lisbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Laurens County
    • Cold Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
      • Cold Point is located in Laurens County
    • Waterloo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Laurens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Chapin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
      • Chapin is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chapin <1>
    • Ella
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ella. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
      • Ella is located in Lexington County
    • Lake Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Lexington County
  • Richland County
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Hickory Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
      • Hickory Grove is located in Saluda County
    • Saluda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Spartanburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Cross Anchor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Enoree
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bush River, with the one closest to Bush River listed first.
    • Delta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
      • Delta is located in Union County
    • Sartor Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartor Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
    • Sedalia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Union County
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
      • Red Town is located in Union County
    • Tuckertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
      • Tuckertown is located in Union County
    • Bishop Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
      • Bishop Town is located in Union County
    • Carlisle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Colerain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colerain. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
      • Colerain is located in Union County
    • Buffalo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Union
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meador have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
      • Meador is located in Union County

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

Cemeteries Near Bush River ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bush River.

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

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

  • Bush River Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Bush River Quaker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bush River Quaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bush River Quaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sharon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sharon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smyrna Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smyrna Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smyrna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. James Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little River Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little Beaver Dam Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Beaver Dam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Beaver Dam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tranquil Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tranquil Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tranquil Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little River Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Browns Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Browns Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Browns Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shady Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shady Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (314 more) ...
    • Ross Memorial Gardens Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ross Memorial Gardens Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ross Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • West End Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West End Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West End 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.<5>

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

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

  • Gary
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
    • Gary is located in Newberry County
  • Kinards
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Jalapa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jalapa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jalapa
    • Jalapa is located in Newberry County
  • Silverstreet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Helena
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Helena is located in Newberry County
  • Milton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Milton is located in Laurens County
  • Vaughanville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughanville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
    • Vaughanville is located in Newberry County
  • Dover ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Dover is located in Laurens County
  • Renno
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
    • Renno is located in Laurens County
  • Chappells
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clinton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mountville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cross Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Huntington ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
      • Huntington is located in Laurens County
    • Prosperity
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Bush River ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bush River.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bush River, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bush River.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Bush River:

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

The official website for Newberry County: www.newberrycounty.net/

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>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 Bush River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bush River) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bush River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.3218, Longitude: -81.7607       In this case, the coordinates for Bush River have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025