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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 Gary (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 Gary. 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.

Gary is located in Newberry 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 Newberry County: Fairfield, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, Richland, Saluda & Union.

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

  • Newberry County     (The home county of Gary)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Smyrna
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Helena
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Helena is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Newberry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Silverstreet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Mudlick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mudlick is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudlick
    • Whitmire
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Union
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Old Town Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Old Town Ferry is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Ferry
    • Sondleys ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
    • Chappells
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Prosperity
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stoney Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Stoney Hill is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Hill
  • Abbeville County
    • Ware Shoals
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Blair
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Monticello
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
    • Jenkinsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rock Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Ninety Six
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Springdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Springdale is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Coronaca
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
    • Fairforest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairforest is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairforest
    • Greenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Grendel Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
    • Panola Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
    • Greenwood Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
    • Mathews Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
    • Cokesbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
    • Hodges
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Laurens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Kinards
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Joanna
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Renno
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Renno is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
    • Dover ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Dover is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Clinton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Cross Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Anglers Haven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Anglers Haven is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anglers Haven
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Lisbon is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Cold Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Cold Point is located in Laurens County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
    • Waterloo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Laurens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Chapin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Chapin is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chapin <1>
    • Ella
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ella is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
    • Lake Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Village is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
  • Richland County
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Hickory Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Hickory Grove is located in Saluda County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
    • Saluda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Spartanburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Cross Anchor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Enoree
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gary, with the one closest to Gary listed first.
    • Sartor Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
    • Delta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Delta is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
    • Sedalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Sedalia is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Red Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
    • Tuckertown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Tuckertown is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
    • Bishop Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bishop Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
    • Carlisle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Colerain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Colerain is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
    • Union
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Meador is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
    • Bonham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Bonham is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham

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

Cemeteries Near Gary ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gary.

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 Gary - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bush River Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Bush River Quaker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Little Beaver Dam Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Tranquil Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Smyrna Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ross Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (319 more) ...
    • Browns Chapel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Beth Eden Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Little River Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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>

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

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

  • Jalapa
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jalapa is located in Newberry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jalapa
  • Kinards
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Helena
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Helena is located in Newberry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
  • Renno
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Renno is located in Laurens County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
  • Silverstreet
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Dover ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dover is located in Laurens County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
  • Milton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Milton is located in Laurens County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
  • Clinton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Vaughanville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Vaughanville is located in Newberry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
  • Whitmire
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Huntington ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Huntington is located in Laurens County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
  • Mountville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cross Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Chappells
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sondleys ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys

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

Newspapers Published in Gary ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gary.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gary, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gary.

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 Gary:

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 Gary, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gary) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.