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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 Fountain Lake (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 Fountain Lake. 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 Fountain Lake ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fountain Lake: Fountain Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fountain Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fountain Lake.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Fountain Lake is located in Orangeburg 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 Orangeburg County: Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester & Lexington.

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

  • Orangeburg County     (The home county of Fountain Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Eutawville
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
    • Green Town
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Green Town is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Town
    • Possum Town
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Possum Town is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
    • Vance
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
    • Holly Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Santee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wells
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Wells is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
    • Parler
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
    • Elloree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wren Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Wren Village is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren Village
  • Berkeley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Eadytown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Eadytown is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eadytown
    • Sandridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
    • Cross
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Judge Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Judge Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judge Town
    • Pineville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Region Town ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Region Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Region Town
    • Russellville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Pinopolis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonneau
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Saint Stephen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Washington Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Washington Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Town
    • Moncks Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Creston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Creston is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
    • Cameron
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cameron is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Charleston County
    • Lincolnville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lincolnville is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,624 people
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Shad Moss village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
    • Davis Station
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Summerton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jordan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Panola
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Panola is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
    • Silver
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Silver is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver
    • Manning
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Paxville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Alcolu
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Gable
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Colleton County
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Harleyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Saint George
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgeville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Reevesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Grover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Brownsville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Summerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Flowertown Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Flowertown Village is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowertown Village
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Pinewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Lakewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lakewood is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Privateer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Privateer is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Privateer
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fountain Lake, with the one closest to Fountain Lake listed first.
    • Greeleyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lane
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lane is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lane <1>
    • Salters
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Fountain Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fountain Lake.

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 Fountain Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fountain Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Eutawville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Walworth Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Walnut Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Springfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Bethlehem Southern Methodist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Joiner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Joiner Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Felder Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Liberty Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rocks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (211 more) ...

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 Fountain Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fountain Lake.

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

  • Connors ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Connors is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connors
  • Vance
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
  • Holly Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Wells
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Wells is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
  • Eadytown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Eadytown is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eadytown
  • Dantzler
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Dantzler is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dantzler
  • Sandridge
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
  • Saint Paul
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Saint Paul is located in Clarendon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
  • Parler
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
  • Felderville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Felderville is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felderville
  • Davis Station
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Summerton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Jordan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Harleyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Elloree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Fountain Lake ...

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 Fountain Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fountain Lake, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fountain Lake.

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 Fountain Lake:

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 Fountain Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Fountain Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.