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 Forest Hills (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 Forest Hills. 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.
Forest Hills is located in Richland 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 Richland County: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry & Sumter.
Below are the counties that are near Forest Hills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest Hills:
- Richland County (The home county of Forest Hills)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Forest Acres
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Forest Acres is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
- Columbia
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hollywood
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hollywood is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Brickyard Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
- Ravenwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ravenwood is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
- Valencia Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
- Belmont
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Arcadia Lakes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
- Arthurtown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Arthurtown is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthurtown
- Dentsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Woodfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodfield is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
- Capitol View
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Capitol View is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
- Saint Andrews
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Andrews is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Andrews
- Aiken County
- Seivern
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Seivern is located in Aiken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
- Calhoun County
- Saint Matthews
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Smallwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
- Ridgeway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Rion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rock Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Winnsboro Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
- Jenkinsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Winnsboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Monticello
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Monticello is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Adger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Adger is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
- Kershaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Elgin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
- Lugoff
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Camden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Log Town ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Log Town is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
- Lafayette Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
- Lancaster County
- Springdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lexington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- West Columbia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cayce
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Springdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Springdale is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Arthur
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Arthur is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Oak Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Seven Oaks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pineridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pineridge is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
- Styx ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Styx is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
- Glenn Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Glenn Village is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Village
- South Congaree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Congaree is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Congaree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,485 people
- Irmo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- Lexington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Gaston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Newberry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Peak
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Little Mountain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Slighs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Slighs is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
- Pomaria
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Orangeburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Woodford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Woodford is located in Orangeburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- North
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Horatio
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Claremont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Claremont is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Rembert
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stateburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stateburg is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
- Sumter Junction
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sumter Junction is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter Junction
- Oakland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Oakland is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Wedgefield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest Hills, see our County-by-County Page for Forest Hills.
Cemeteries Near Forest Hills ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest Hills.
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 Forest Hills - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest Hills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- St. Peters Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Taylor Burying Ground
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Crescent Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hebrew Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Leevy Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Geiger Ave. Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geiger Ave. Cemetery
- The Geiger Ave. Cemetery has also been known as:
- Confederate Home Cemetery
- South Carolina State Hospital Cemetery
- White Asylum Cemetery
- Pine Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Douglas Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood Cemetery
- The Elmwood Cemetery has also been known as:
- Elmwood Memorial Gardens
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #69943 <2>
- State Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Randolph Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Continue List (258 more) ...
- Olympia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Childs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Taylor Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Forest Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Forest Hills.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
- Columbia
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Childs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Childs is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
- Cayce
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Arthur
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Arthur is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Leaphart
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Leaphart is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaphart
- Pineridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pineridge is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
- Killian
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Killian is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
- Spring Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Spring Hill is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Hopkins
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sharp
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sharp is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
- Irmo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- Pleasant ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Pleasant is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Bookman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bookman is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bookman
- Gaston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Weston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Weston is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest Hills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest Hills.
Newspapers Published in Forest Hills ...
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 174 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest Hills.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest Hills, there are papers which were published within 4 miles [6.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest Hills.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Forest Hills:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Richland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Aiken County
- Calhoun County
- Fairfield County
- Kershaw County
- Lancaster County
- Lexington County
- Newberry County
- Orangeburg County
- Sumter 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Forest Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Forest Hills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |