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 Jennings (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 Jennings. 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 Jennings ...
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.
While the name of this community is Jennings, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Jennings may originally have been Jenning's.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Jennings. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Jennings.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Jennings is located in Fairfield 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 Fairfield County: Chester, Kershaw, Lancaster, Newberry, Richland & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Jennings. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Jennings:
- Fairfield County (The home county of Jennings)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Rion
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rock Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Jenkinsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Winnsboro Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
- Winnsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Monticello
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Monticello is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Ridgeway
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Smallwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
- Adger
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Adger is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
- White Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Blair
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Woodward
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Woodward is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
- Mitford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mitford is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Blackstock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Cornwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cornwell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
- Great Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kershaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Elgin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Liberty Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lugoff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Spring Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
- Lancaster County
- Springdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lexington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Irmo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Irmo is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <2>
- Chapin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Oaks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- West Columbia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Arthur
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Arthur is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Lexington
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Cayce
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Springdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Springdale is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Ella
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ella is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
- Red Bank
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Red Bank is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Pineridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Pineridge is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
- Lake Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Village is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
- Newberry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Peak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Little Mountain
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pomaria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Slighs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Slighs is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
- Glymphville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Glymphville is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
- Sondleys ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sondleys is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
- Prosperity
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Union
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Union is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Stoney Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Stoney Hill is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Hill
- Newberry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Helena
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Helena is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Cedar Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cedar Creek is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
- Dutch Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dutch Village is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
- Ballentine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- White Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Blythewood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Lake Murray of Richland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Andrews
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Saint Andrews is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Andrews
- Belmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arcadia Lakes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
- Dentsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brickyard Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
- Columbia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Acres
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Acres is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Tuckertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tuckertown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
- Carlisle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sartor Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sartor Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Jennings, see our County-by-County Page for Jennings.
Cemeteries Near Jennings ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jennings.
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 Jennings - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Jennings covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Van Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Robinson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mann Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Molly Alston Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Wirick Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Gibson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Cedar Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Greenbrier Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Beulah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (298 more) ...
- New Buffalo Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Yarborough Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Whites Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Jennings had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Jennings, with the one closest to Jennings listed first.
- Lever ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lever is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lever
- Rion
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wallaceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wallaceville is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallaceville
- Bookman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bookman is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bookman
- Pleasant ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant
- Simpson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Simpson is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Jenkinsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Rockton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rockton is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- White Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ballentine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Alston is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alston
- Peak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Irmo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Irmo is located in Lexington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <2>
- Winnsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Monticello
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Monticello is located in Fairfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Jennings. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jennings.
Newspapers Published in Jennings ...
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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jennings.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jennings, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jennings.
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 websites either 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 Jennings:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Fairfield County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Kershaw County
- Lancaster County
- Lexington County
- Newberry County
- Richland County
- Union 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 Jennings, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Jennings) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |