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 Little Africa (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 Little Africa. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Little Africa is located in Spartanburg 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 Spartanburg County: Polk (NC), Rutherford (NC), Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Little Africa. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Little Africa:
- Spartanburg County (The home county of Little Africa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Fingerville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Campobello
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Boiling Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Gramling
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Inman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Inman Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Landrum
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Valley Falls
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mayo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Southern Shops
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Whitney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Whitney is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Arcadia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Chesnee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Macedonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Gaffney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- East Gaffney
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Blacksburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Gowensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Highland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Highland is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- O'Neal
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Greer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Tigerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- Chick Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Taylors
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- East Gate Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- Pelham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Wade Hampton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
- Paris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Paris is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Five Forks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Five Forks is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Union County
- Jonesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cleveland County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Cliffside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Mooresboro
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Boiling Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Lattimore
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- New House
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New House is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Sharon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Brittain Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
- Kingstown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kingstown is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Dover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Dover is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Campcall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Henderson County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Saluda
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Baxter
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Dana
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dana is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Upward
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Upward is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- Zirconia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Claremont
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- East Flat Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tuxedo
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bat Cave
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Flat Rock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Barker Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- U-No
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- U-No is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- Mount Olive
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Olive is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- McDowell County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Vein Mountain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Sugar Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Glenwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Polk County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Columbus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Spring
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Melrose
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Melrose is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Rutherford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- Holly Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Harris
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Shiloh
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Alexander Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Bakersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Sandy Mush
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Rutherfordton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Forest City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Henrietta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Spindale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Caroleen
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Concord
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Little Africa, see our County-by-County Page for Little Africa.
Cemeteries Near Little Africa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Little Africa.
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 Little Africa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Little Africa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- New Hope UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Trinity United Methodist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Thorne Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Abrams Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain View Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ezell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Robbins Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Poors Ford Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kistlers Chapel UMC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gramling UMC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Roselawn Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (398 more) ...
- Boiling Springs First Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Gethsemane Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Burke Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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 Little Africa in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Little Africa.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Little Africa, with the one closest to Little Africa listed first.
- New Prospect
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- New Prospect is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prospect
- Fingerville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sandy Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Springs is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
- Collinsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Collinsville is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Brooklyn
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Campobello
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Inman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Campton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Campton is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton
- Landrum
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gowensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Andover ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Andover is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
- Columbus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Lynn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Tyger ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tyger is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyger
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Little Africa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Little Africa.
Newspapers Published in Little Africa ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Little Africa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Little Africa, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Little Africa.
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 Little Africa:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Spartanburg County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Greenville County
- Union County
- Cleveland County
- Henderson County
- McDowell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Little Africa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Little Africa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |