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 Harpers Ridge (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 Harpers Ridge. 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 Harpers Ridge ...
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 Harpers Ridge: Harpers Rdg. (or less commonly used: Harpers Rdge. or Harpers Ridg.)
- While the name of this community is Harpers Ridge, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Harpers Ridge may originally have been Harper's Ridge.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Harpers Ridge might be written as Harper Ridge.
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.
Harpers Ridge is located in Anderson 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 Anderson County: Elbert (GA), Hart (GA), Abbeville, Greenville, Laurens, Oconee & Pickens.
Below are the counties that are near Harpers Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Harpers Ridge:
- Anderson County (The home county of Harpers Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Anderson Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Anderson Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Village
- Northlake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Northlake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlake
- Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Anderson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Centerville Terrace Estates
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Caldwell Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Caldwell Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell Village
- La France
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Homeland Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Homeland Park is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland Park
- Pendleton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Leisure Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Leisure Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
- Williamston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Belton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Abbeville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Honea Path
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Antreville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Antreville is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antreville
- Level Land
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Level Land is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Land
- Lake Secession
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Lake Secession is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Secession
- Donalds
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Due West
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lowndesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ware Shoals
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Monterey ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Monterey is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Golden Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Golden Grove is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Grove
- Lickville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lickville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickville
- Gantt
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Gantt is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
- Fork Shoals
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Fork Shoals is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fork Shoals
- Pine Hill Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Hill Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Village
- Welcome
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Welcome is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- White Horse
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- White Horse is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse
- Conestee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunean
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunean is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunean
- Judson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Judson is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Parker
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Parker is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
- City View
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- City View is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City View
- Berea
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Berea is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Princeton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Green Pond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Mount Gallagher
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Gallagher is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gallagher
- Gray Court
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Oconee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Utica
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Utica is located in Oconee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Newry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Seneca
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fair Play
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Oakway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Oakway is located in Oconee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakway
- Richland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- West Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Westminster
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Walhalla
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Salem
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tamassee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Harbin ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Harbin is located in Oconee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
- Pickens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Central
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Isaqueena Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Isaqueena Village is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isaqueena Village
- Clemson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Norris
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Easley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Six Mile
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Arial
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Arial is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arial
- Pickens
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Crow Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Crow Creek is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
- Dacusville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Nine Times
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Nine Times is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Times
- Knob ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Knob is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
- Elbert County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Bowman Ferry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bowman Ferry is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowman Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 808 people
- Edinburg ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Edinburg is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinburg
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,396 people
- Centerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Harmony
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Harmony is located in Elbert County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Franklin County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Gumlog
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gumlog is located in Franklin County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gumlog
- Lavonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Canon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hart County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Crawfords Ferry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Crawfords Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawfords Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 473 people
- Cooleys Ferry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleys Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 529 people
- Dooleys Ferry
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleys Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 136 people
- Reed Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Reed Creek is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek
- Maretts
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maretts is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maretts
- Hartwell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- Bowersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stephens County (GA)
- Martin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Harpers Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Harpers Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Harpers Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harpers Ridge.
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 Harpers Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Harpers Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Trinity Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mountain Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Concord Baptist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Oaklawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Midway Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Welcome Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Anderson First Presbyterian Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Whitefield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Simpson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Prospect Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (435 more) ...
- Willis Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Byrum - LeBoon Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Le Boon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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 Harpers Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Harpers Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Harpers Ridge, with the one closest to Harpers Ridge listed first.
- Denver
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Denver is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
- Piercetown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Piercetown is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piercetown
- Pendleton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mountain Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Creek
- Varennes ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Varennes is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varennes
- Belton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Williamston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Central
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Deans
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Deans is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deans
- Pelzer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Calhoun
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Calhoun is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Toney Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Toney Creek is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toney Creek
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Piedmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Townville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Andersonville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Andersonville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Harpers Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Harpers Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Harpers Ridge ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harpers Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harpers Ridge, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harpers Ridge.
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 Harpers Ridge:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Anderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Abbeville County
- Greenville County
- Laurens County
- Oconee County
- Pickens County
- Elbert County
- Franklin County
- Hart County
- Stephens County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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> | 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 Harpers Ridge, 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- Harpers Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |