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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 Howells (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 Howells. 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 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.

Howells is located in Horry 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 Horry County: Brunswick (NC), Columbus (NC), Dillon, Georgetown & Marion.

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

  • Horry County     (The home county of Howells)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Gurley
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Gurley is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
    • Cebu ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Cebu is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cebu
    • Allen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Allen is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
    • Daisy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Daisy is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Hickory Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Hickory Grove is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
    • Cool Spring
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
    • Finklea
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Finklea is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
    • Loris
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Vina
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Vina is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vina
    • Cochran Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Cochran Town is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Town
    • White Oak
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • White Oak is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Green Sea
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Conway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Dillon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Fork
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Floydale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Florence County
    • Johnsonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Georgetown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Carters Crossroads
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Carters Crossroads is located in Georgetown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Crossroads
    • Murrells Inlet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Nichols
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rains
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Centenary
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Mullins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gresham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Tabernacle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
    • Marion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Williamsburg County
    • Hemingway
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Brunswick County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Carolina Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Calabash
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Calabash is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calabash
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,360 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calabash <1>
    • Longwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Ash
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Ash is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
    • Sunset Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Columbus County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Tabor City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Emerson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Emerson is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
    • Ironhill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Ironhill is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
    • Clarendon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
    • Bethel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethel is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Cribb Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
    • Pine Level
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Level is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pireway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Pireway is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
    • Bug Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
    • Nakina
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Nakina is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nakina
    • Cedar Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Fair Bluff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
    • Cerro Gordo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
  • Robeson County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
    • Marietta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Marietta is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Barnesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Barnesville is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville

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

Cemeteries Near Howells ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howells.

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

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

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

  • Anderson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Fox Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • New Home Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Stevens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Cane Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Pillar Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Chestnut Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Holt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • St. Paul MB Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Strickland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (290 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 Howells in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Howells.

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

  • Privetts
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Privetts is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Privetts
  • Gurley
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Gurley is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
  • Adrian
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Adrian is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
  • Bayboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bayboro is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayboro
  • Daisy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Daisy is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
  • Cool Spring
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
  • Loris
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Finklea
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Finklea is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
  • Hammond
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hammond is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
  • Conway
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Nixonville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Nixonville is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixonville
  • Gideon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Gideon is located in Horry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hand
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Hand is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
    • Jordanville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jordanville is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordanville
    • Forney
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Forney is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney

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

Newspapers Published in Howells ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howells.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Howells, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Howells.

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 Howells:

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 Howells, 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' (or 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- Howells) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.