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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Laurence. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Laurence to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Laurence, please Contact Us.

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 Laurence (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 Laurence. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Laurence is historic, it would have been located within present day Dorchester 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 Dorchester County: Bamberg, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton & Orangeburg.

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

  • Dorchester County     (The home county of Laurence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurence, with the one closest to Laurence listed first.
    • Ridgeville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Brownsville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Brownsville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Flowertown Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Flowertown Village is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowertown Village
    • Summerville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Chandler Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Chandler Village is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Village
    • Dorchester
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Harleyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Grover
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Saint George
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Reevesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Berkeley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurence, with the one closest to Laurence listed first.
    • Washington Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Washington Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Town
    • Highland Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Highland Village is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
    • Ladson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Caromi Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Caromi Village is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caromi Village
    • Mount Holly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Mount Holly is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Holly
    • Camelot Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Camelot Village is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Village
    • Sandridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
    • Goose Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tarry Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Tarry Town is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarry Town
    • Moncks Corner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinopolis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanahan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Charleston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurence, with the one closest to Laurence listed first.
    • Lincolnville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lincolnville is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,624 people
    • Otranto
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Otranto is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otranto
    • Ravenel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Canady Landing ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Canady Landing is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canady Landing
    • North Charleston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorchester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Dorchester is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
    • Hollywood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Essex Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Essex Village is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Village
    • Meggett
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Grove Creek Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Grove Creek Village is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Creek Village
    • Old Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Old Town is located in Charleston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Adams Run
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Colleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurence, with the one closest to Laurence listed first.
    • Cottageville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Round O
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Sidney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Sidney is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
    • Drigger Crossroads
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Drigger Crossroads is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drigger Crossroads
    • Canadys
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Jacksonboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Drawdy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Drawdy is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawdy
    • Walterboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ritter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ritter is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
    • Green Pond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Johnsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Johnsville is located in Colleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurence, with the one closest to Laurence listed first.
    • Holly Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Eutawville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Green Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Green Town is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Town
    • Possum Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Possum Town is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
    • Wells
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wells is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
    • Vance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Laurence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurence.

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

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

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

  • Jedburg Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Murray Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Cypress Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Bonnerest Garden Of The Resurrection Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Boone Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Summerville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Pauls Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Blanton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rudd Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (236 more) ...
    • Cummings Chapel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Mims Lake Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)

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.

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

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

  • Ridgeville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Summerville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Long Ridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Long Ridge is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Ridge
  • Ladson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Holly
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Mount Holly is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Holly
  • Sandridge
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
  • Strawberry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Strawberry is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
  • Otranto
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Otranto is located in Charleston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otranto
  • Cottageville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Harleyville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Moncks Corner
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Belvedere
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Belvedere is located in Berkeley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvedere
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Holly Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Connors ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Connors is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connors
    • Macbeth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Macbeth is located in Berkeley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macbeth

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

Newspapers Published in Laurence ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurence, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurence.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Laurence:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Laurence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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- Laurence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.