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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 Calestown (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 Calestown. 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 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.

Calestown is located in Berkeley 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 Berkeley County: Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Orangeburg & Williamsburg.

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

  • Berkeley County     (The home county of Calestown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calestown, with the one closest to Calestown listed first.
    • Alvin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
      • Alvin is located in Berkeley County
    • Jamestown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Wrangle Town ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrangle Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrangle Town
      • Wrangle Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Bethera
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Harris Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harris Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Town
      • Harris Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Bonneau
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Saint Stephen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Russellville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Cordesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Huger
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Moncks Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinopolis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Charleston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calestown, with the one closest to Calestown listed first.
    • Awendaw
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pineland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineland
      • Pineland is located in Charleston County
    • McClellanville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Otranto
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Otranto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otranto
      • Otranto is located in Charleston County
    • Lincolnville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnville
      • Lincolnville is located in Charleston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,624 people
  • Clarendon County
    • Shad Moss village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shad Moss village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calestown, with the one closest to Calestown listed first.
    • Summerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Chandler Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chandler Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Village
      • Chandler Village is located in Dorchester County
    • Brownsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Dorchester County
  • Georgetown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calestown, with the one closest to Calestown listed first.
    • Andrews
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sampit
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sampit. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampit
      • Sampit is located in Georgetown County
    • Willie Towne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willie Towne have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willie Towne
      • Willie Towne is located in Georgetown County
    • Georgetown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Steele Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steele Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele Town
      • Steele Town is located in Georgetown County
  • Orangeburg County
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Calestown, with the one closest to Calestown listed first.
    • Lane
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
      • Lane is located in Williamsburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lane <2>
    • Salters
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Greeleyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Snow Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Town
      • Snow Town is located in Williamsburg County
    • Kingstree
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Nesmith
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Calestown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Calestown.

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

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

  • Von Hollen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Von Hollen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Von Hollen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hoods Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoods Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoods Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reed Corner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reed Corner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reed Corner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Edens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hickory Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hickory Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hickory Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> to the southeast of Bethera.
    • The Hickory Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hickory Grove Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #70298 <5>
  • Providence Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Berea Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Berea Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Berea Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (153 more) ...
    • Oak Grove Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. James Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Betaw Plantation Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Betaw Plantation Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Betaw Plantation 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 Calestown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Calestown.

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

  • Alvin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
    • Alvin is located in Berkeley County
  • Bethera
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Suttons
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suttons have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttons
    • Suttons is located in Williamsburg County
  • Palmerville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerville
    • Palmerville is located in Berkeley County
  • Bonneau
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Macbeth
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macbeth have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macbeth
    • Macbeth is located in Berkeley County
  • Saint Stephen
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Huger
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Moncks Corner
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Honey Hill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Hill
    • Honey Hill is located in Berkeley County
  • Earle
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Earle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earle
    • Earle is located in Williamsburg County
  • Trio
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trio have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trio
    • Trio is located in Williamsburg County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Lane
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
      • Lane is located in Williamsburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lane <2>
    • Strawberry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
      • Strawberry is located in Berkeley County
    • Sampit
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sampit. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampit
      • Sampit is located in Georgetown County

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

Newspapers Published in Calestown ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Calestown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Calestown, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Calestown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Calestown:

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

The official website for Berkeley County: www.co.berkeley.sc.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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- Calestown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Calestown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.2904, Longitude: -79.7867       In this case, the coordinates for Calestown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Calestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025