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The Commemorative Quarter for South Carolina





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 Chester (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 Chester. 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 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.

Chester is located in Chester County and is the County Seat.

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 Chester County: Fairfield, Lancaster, Union & York.

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

  • Chester County     (The home county of Chester)
  • Cherokee County
  • Fairfield County
  • Kershaw County
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Bell Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
      • Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
    • Caskey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caskey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caskey
      • Caskey is located in Lancaster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Caskey
      • From Chester to Caskey
    • Riverside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Lancaster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riverside
      • From Chester to Riverside
    • Irwin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Irwin is located in Lancaster County
    • Lancaster Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lancaster Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Mill
      • Lancaster Mill is located in Lancaster County
    • Van Wyck
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lancaster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Elgin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Indian Land
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Camp Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Camp Cox
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Colonial Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Lancaster County
  • Newberry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Glymphville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glymphville
      • From Chester to Glymphville
    • Whitmire
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sondleys ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sondleys have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
      • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Lockhart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Carlisle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meador have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
      • Meador is located in Union County
    • Tuckertown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bailey Town ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
      • Bailey Town is located in Union County
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
      • Red Town is located in Union County
    • Delta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Delta
      • From Chester to Delta
    • Sartor Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartor Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
    • Kelly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kelly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
      • Kelly is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kelly
      • From Chester to Kelly
    • Union
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Bonham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bonham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
      • Bonham is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bonham
      • From Chester to Bonham
    • Buffalo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • York County
  • Union County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Jaars
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jaars have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaars
      • Jaars is located in Union County (NC)
    • Marvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marvin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
      • Marvin is located in Union County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
    • Waxhaw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Chester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chester.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Chester had a population of 2,703 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chester had a population of 5,363 people.

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

  • Orrs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs
    • Orrs is located in Chester County
  • Sandy River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy River
    • Sandy River is located in Chester County
  • Cornwell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cornwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
    • Cornwell is located in Chester County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cornwell
    • From Chester to Cornwell
  • Knox
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
    • Knox is located in Chester County
  • Baton Rouge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baton Rouge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton Rouge
    • Baton Rouge is located in Chester County
  • Rodman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman
    • Rodman is located in Chester County
  • Wellridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellridge
    • Wellridge is located in Chester County
  • Smith
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Blackstock
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Wilksburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilksburg
    • Wilksburg is located in Chester County
  • Leeds
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
    • Leeds is located in Chester County
  • Richburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Woodward
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Woodward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
      • Woodward is located in Fairfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Woodward
      • From Chester to Woodward
    • Bascomville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bascomville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bascomville
      • Bascomville is located in Chester County
    • Rossville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
      • Rossville is located in Chester County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chester ...

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 Chester.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chester. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chester and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chester.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<6> of Chester.

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 helpful 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 Chester:

The official website for Chester: www.chestersc.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Chester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Chester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7049, Longitude: -81.2142    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025