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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 Drake (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 Drake. 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 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.

Drake is located in Marlboro 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 Marlboro County: Anson (NC), Richmond (NC), Robeson (NC), Scotland (NC), Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon & Florence.

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

  • Marlboro County     (The home county of Drake)
  • Chesterfield County
  • Darlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
    • Mont Clare
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Society Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Dovesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dovesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
      • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dovesville
      • From Drake to Dovesville
    • Darlington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Darlington County
    • Palmetto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palmetto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
      • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Palmetto
      • From Drake to Palmetto
    • Greenplains ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenplains have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenplains
      • Greenplains is located in Darlington County
    • Syracuse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • North Hartsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Hartsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hartsville
      • North Hartsville is located in Darlington County
    • Alexander Crossroads
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philadelphia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
      • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Philadelphia
      • From Drake to Philadelphia
    • Hartsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Dillon County
  • Florence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
    • Jamestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Quinby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Mars Bluff
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mars Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
      • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mars Bluff
      • From Drake to Mars Bluff
    • Florence
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Siesta Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siesta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Village
      • Siesta Village is located in Florence County
    • Park City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Florence County
    • Ebenezer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Tara Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tara Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Village
      • Tara Village is located in Florence County
    • Danwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Effingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Timmonsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jones Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Marion County
  • Anson County (NC)
    • McFarlan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McFarlan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McFarlan
      • McFarlan is located in Anson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
  • Richmond County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
    • New Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
      • New Town is located in Richmond County (NC)
    • Steen Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steen Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen Town
      • Steen Town is located in Richmond County (NC)
    • Hamlet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Dobbins Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dobbins Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbins Heights
      • Dobbins Heights is located in Richmond County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
  • Robeson County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
    • Alfordsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Rowland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
      • Rowland is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 985 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rowland <1>
    • Raemon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raemon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raemon
      • Raemon is located in Robeson County (NC)
    • Maxton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxton
      • Maxton is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maxton <1>
    • Elrod
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elrod have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
      • Elrod is located in Robeson County (NC)
    • McDonald
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Raynham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raynham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham
      • Raynham is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
    • Red Banks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pates. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pates
      • Pates is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pates
      • From Drake to Pates
    • Pembroke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pembroke. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pembroke
      • Pembroke is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pembroke <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pembroke
      • From Drake to Pembroke
    • Prospect
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prospect have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
      • Prospect is located in Robeson County (NC)
  • Scotland County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
    • Hasty
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hasty. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
      • Hasty is located in Scotland County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hasty
      • From Drake to Hasty
    • Gibson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
      • Gibson is located in Scotland County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson <1>
    • Laurinburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurinburg
      • Laurinburg is located in Scotland County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,896 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurinburg <1>
    • Laurel Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
      • Laurel Hill is located in Scotland County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel Hill <1>
    • East Laurinburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Laurinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laurinburg
      • East Laurinburg is located in Scotland County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 277 people
    • Richmond Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Drake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Drake.

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

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

  • Parnassus Graveyard
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parnassus Graveyard
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parnassus Graveyard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brownsville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brownsville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brownsville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Governor Williams Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Governor Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Governor Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hebron Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Pugh Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pugh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pugh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lucas Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lucas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lucas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Round O Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round O Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round O Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethesda Southern Methodist Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethesda Southern Methodist Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethesda Southern Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alford Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (357 more) ...
    • Reedy Creek Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reedy Creek Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reedy Creek Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • McCall Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCall Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oak Ridge Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Drake had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Drake ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Drake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Drake, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Drake.

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 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 Drake:

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

The official website for Marlboro County: www.marlborocounty.sc.gov/

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 Drake, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Drake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Drake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4725, Longitude: -79.6676    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 30 Mar 2025