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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 Grays Crossroads (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 Grays Crossroads. 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 Grays Crossroads ...

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 occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Grays Crossroads: Grays Xrds.
  • While the name of this community is Grays Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Grays Crossroads may originally have been Gray's Crossroads.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Grays Crossroads might be written as Gray Crossroads.

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 hospitals 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.

Grays Crossroads is located in Allendale 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 Allendale County: Burke (GA), Screven (GA), Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton & Hampton.

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

  • Allendale County     (The home county of Grays Crossroads)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Allendale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Sycamore
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ulmer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairfax
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Martin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Aiken County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Hawthorne ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawthorne is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne
    • Bush ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bush is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
  • Bamberg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Olar
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Olar is located in Bamberg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olar <2>
    • Govan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Govan is located in Bamberg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Govan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Ehrhardt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Denmark
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bamberg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Barnwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Kline
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Barnwell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Snelling
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Snelling is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snelling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
    • Hilda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Hattieville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Hattieville is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville
    • Blackville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Reynold
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Reynold is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynold
    • Elko
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Elko is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elko <2>
    • Williston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Whaley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Whaley is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
  • Colleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Ashton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Ashton is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
    • Lodge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Islandton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Williams
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Sniders Crossroads
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Sniders Crossroads is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sniders Crossroads
    • Ruffin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Smoaks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Hampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Brunson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gifford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Pond Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pond Town is located in Hampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Town
    • Luray
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Crocketville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Miley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Hampton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Varnville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Estill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Scotia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Furman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Garnett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Early Branch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Cope
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cope is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cope
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cope <2>
    • Norway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Burke County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Girard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Girard is located in Burke County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Girard <2>
    • Sardis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Sardis is located in Burke County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 970 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sardis <2>
  • Screven County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grays Crossroads, with the one closest to Grays Crossroads listed first.
    • Millhaven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Millhaven is located in Screven County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millhaven
    • Hiltonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hilltonia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Hilltonia is located in Screven County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltonia
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 262 people
    • Sylvania
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sylvania is located in Screven County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvania
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvania <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Grays Crossroads ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grays Crossroads.

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 Grays Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Swallow Savannah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Allen Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • New Home Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Miller Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Smyrna Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Great Saltkehatchie Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Salkehatchie Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Smart Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (196 more) ...
    • Kirkland Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Magdalene Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Flowers Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)

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.<4>

While we didn't find Grays Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Grays Crossroads.

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

  • Allendale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Sycamore
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fairfax
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ulmer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Brunson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Gifford
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Govan
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Govan is located in Bamberg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Govan
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
  • Snelling
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Snelling is located in Barnwell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snelling
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
  • Luray
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Crocketville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Dunbarton ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dunbarton is located in Barnwell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbarton
  • Ashleigh
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ashleigh is located in Barnwell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashleigh
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Peeples ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Peeples is located in Hampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peeples
    • Hampton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Miley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Grays Crossroads ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grays Crossroads.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Grays Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Grays Crossroads.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Grays Crossroads:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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 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.
<4>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 Grays Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Grays Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.