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 Clayton (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 Clayton. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Clayton is located in Fairfield 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 Fairfield County: Chester, Kershaw, Lancaster, Newberry, Richland & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Clayton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Clayton:
- Fairfield County (The home county of Clayton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Blair
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Monticello
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Monticello is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Woodward
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Woodward is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
- Jenkinsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Adger
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Adger is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
- White Oak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rock Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Winnsboro
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Rion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Winnsboro Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
- Mitford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mitford is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
- Ridgeway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Smallwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Blackstock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cornwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cornwell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
- Gayle Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
- Chester
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Eureka Mill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
- Cabal
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Cabal is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabal
- Lowrys
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lowrys is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Richburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Smith
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Smith is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Great Falls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lando
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Renno
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Renno is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
- Kinards
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Joanna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Dover ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dover is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Clinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Tylersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tylersville is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Lexington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Chapin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ella
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Ella is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
- Irmo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- 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>
- Newberry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Glymphville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Glymphville is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
- Whitmire
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Sondleys ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Sondleys is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
- Pomaria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Union
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Peak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Newberry
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Helena
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Helena is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Little Mountain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Prosperity
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Slighs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Slighs is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
- Smyrna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stoney Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Stoney Hill is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Hill
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- White Rock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lake Murray of Richland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Cedar Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Creek is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
- Ballentine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dutch Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dutch Village is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
- Spartanburg County
- Cross Anchor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Tuckertown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tuckertown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
- Carlisle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Sartor Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Sartor Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
- Delta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Delta is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Red Town ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Red Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
- Meador ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Meador is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Sedalia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sedalia is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lockhart
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
- Buffalo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bailey Town ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bailey Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Bonham
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bonham is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- McConnells
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Blairsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Blairsville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Hopewell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hopewell is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Clayton, see our County-by-County Page for Clayton.
Cemeteries Near Clayton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clayton.
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 Clayton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Clayton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- McConnell Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Shelton - Shivar Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Weeping Mary Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Mobley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Feaster Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Antioch Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Charles Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cool Branch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Seekwell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kellys Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Coleman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (318 more) ...
- Castles - Stevenson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- James Ashford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rock Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Clayton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Clayton.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Clayton, with the one closest to Clayton listed first.
- Shelton
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Shelton is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelton
- Herbert
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Herbert is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
- Lylesford ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lylesford is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lylesford
- Feasterville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Feasterville is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feasterville
- Maybinton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Maybinton is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maybinton
- Blair
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Glymphville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Glymphville is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
- Strother
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Strother is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strother
- Carlisle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Ada ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ada is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
- Delta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Delta is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Goshen Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Goshen Hill is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Hill
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Reuben ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Reuben is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
- Walton ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Walton is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
- Dawkins
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dawkins is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawkins
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Clayton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Clayton.
Newspapers Published in Clayton ...
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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clayton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clayton, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clayton.
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 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 Clayton:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Fairfield County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Laurens County
- Lexington County
- Newberry County
- Richland County
- Spartanburg County
- Union County
- York 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Clayton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Clayton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |