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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 Fair Play (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 Fair Play. 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 Fair Play ...

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.

Another variation: Fairplay.

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 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.

Fair Play is located in Oconee 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 Oconee County: Franklin (GA), Habersham (GA), Hart (GA), Rabun (GA), Stephens (GA), Jackson (NC), Macon (NC), Transylvania (NC), Anderson & Pickens.

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

  • Oconee County     (The home county of Fair Play)
  • Abbeville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Lake Secession
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Secession have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Secession
      • Lake Secession is located in Abbeville County
    • Lowndesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Antreville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Antreville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antreville
      • Antreville is located in Abbeville County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Antreville
      • From Fair Play to Antreville
  • Anderson County
  • Pickens County
  • Elbert County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Bowman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Centerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Harper
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Dewy Rose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Harmony
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Goss
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Edinburg ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinburg
      • Edinburg is located in Elbert County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,396 people
    • Bowman Ferry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowman Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowman Ferry
      • Bowman Ferry is located in Elbert County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 808 people
    • Elberton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Silk Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silk Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silk Mills
      • Silk Mills is located in Elbert County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 277 people
  • Franklin County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Gumlog
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gumlog have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gumlog
      • Gumlog is located in Franklin County (GA)
    • Lavonia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavonia
      • Lavonia is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,187 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lavonia <2>
    • Canon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Parhams
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parhams. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
      • Parhams is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Parhams
      • From Fair Play to Parhams
    • Carnesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Royston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Franklin Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Cromers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cromers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromers
      • Cromers is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 639 people
    • Plainview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plainview
      • From Fair Play to Plainview
  • Habersham County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Tugaloo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tugaloo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tugaloo
      • Tugaloo is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tugaloo
      • From Fair Play to Tugaloo
    • Turnerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnerville
      • Turnerville is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turnerville <2>
    • Mount Airy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Cornelia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills
      • Hills is located in Habersham County (GA)
  • Hart County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Maretts
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Reed Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek
      • Reed Creek is located in Hart County (GA)
    • Crawfords Ferry
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawfords Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawfords Ferry
      • Crawfords Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 473 people
    • Flat Shoals
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cooleys Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooleys Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleys Ferry
      • Cooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 529 people
    • Hartwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Bowersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dooleys Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dooleys Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleys Ferry
      • Dooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 136 people
  • Madison County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Harrison
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Madison Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Springs
      • Madison Springs is located in Madison County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,210 people
      • Former name for Madison Springs:
      • Alexanderville
    • Shiloh
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Dalton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Danielsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ila
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Tallulah Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tallulah Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallulah Falls
      • Tallulah Falls is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tallulah Falls <2>
    • Lakemont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Stephens County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
    • Martin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Avalon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avalon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
      • Avalon is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Eastanollee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jarrett
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jarrett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
      • Jarrett is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,974 people
    • Carnes Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carnes Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnes Creek
      • Carnes Creek is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 601 people
    • Toccoa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Toccoa Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toccoa Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toccoa Falls
      • Toccoa Falls is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toccoa Falls <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Fair Play ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fair Play.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play 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 Fair Play had a population of 112 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Shoal Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shoal Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Creek
    • Shoal Creek is located in Hart County (GA)
  • Reed Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek
    • Reed Creek is located in Hart County (GA)
  • Oakway
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakway
    • Oakway is located in Oconee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Oakway
    • From Fair Play to Oakway
  • Townville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lavonia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavonia
    • Lavonia is located in Franklin County (GA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,187 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lavonia <2>
  • Andersonville ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Retreat
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Retreat have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retreat
    • Retreat is located in Oconee County
  • Richland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Bowersville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hartwell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Oak Bower ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Bower have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bower
    • Oak Bower is located in Hart County (GA)
  • Martin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Fair Play ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fair Play.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fair Play, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fair Play.

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 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 Fair Play:

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

The official website for Oconee County: www.oconeesc.com/

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>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 Fair Play, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fair Play) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fair Play. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5113, Longitude: -82.9856    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 30 Mar 2025