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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Merchant to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Merchant, 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 Merchant (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 Merchant. 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 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 Merchant is historic, it would have been located within present day Saluda County.

To see how the shape of South Carolina's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Saluda County: Aiken, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lexington & Newberry.

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

  • Saluda County     (The home county of Merchant)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Hickory Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
      • Hickory Grove is located in Saluda County
    • Saluda
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Ward
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Ridge Spring
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Aiken County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Monetta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Seivern
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
      • Seivern is located in Aiken County
    • Camp Rawls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rawls
      • Camp Rawls is located in Aiken County
    • Vaucluse
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Edgefield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Johnston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Edgefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Trenton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Jenkinsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
    • Blair
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Monticello
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Ninety Six
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Springdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Greenwood County
    • Fairforest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairforest
      • Fairforest is located in Greenwood County
    • Coronaca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coronaca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
      • Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
    • Mathews Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mathews Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
      • Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Panola Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
      • Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Grendel Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grendel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
      • Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Greenwood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
      • Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Greenwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Laurens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Anglers Haven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anglers Haven
      • Anglers Haven is located in Laurens County
    • Kinards
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cross Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Joanna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Mountville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Renno
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
      • Renno is located in Laurens County
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Batesburg - Leesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Batesburg - Leesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesburg - Leesville
      • Batesburg - Leesville is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,402 people
    • Batesburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Lexington County
    • Leesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Clubhouse Crossroads
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clubhouse Crossroads
      • Clubhouse Crossroads is located in Lexington County
    • Summit
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
    • Gilbert
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Chapin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
      • Chapin is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,664 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chapin <2>
    • Lexington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Red Bank
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Bank have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
      • Red Bank is located in Lexington County
    • Irmo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
      • Irmo is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <2>
    • Oak Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
  • McCormick County
    • Liberty Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
      • Liberty Hill is located in McCormick County
  • Newberry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Old Town Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Ferry
      • Old Town Ferry is located in Newberry County
    • Silverstreet
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Prosperity
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Chappells
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Newberry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Smyrna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Slighs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
      • Slighs is located in Newberry County
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Newberry County
    • Little Mountain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pomaria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Peak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak
      • Peak is located in Newberry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peak <2>
    • Glymphville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glymphville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
      • Glymphville is located in Newberry County
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merchant, with the one closest to Merchant listed first.
    • Lake Murray of Richland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • White Rock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Ballentine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Dutch Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dutch Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
      • Dutch Village is located in Richland County

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

Newspapers Published in Merchant ...

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 Merchant.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merchant, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merchant.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Merchant:

Cemeteries Near Merchant ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merchant.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Mt. Moses CME Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Mitchell Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Hill Cemetery
  • Matthews Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Matthews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Matthews Cemetery
  • Matthews Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Matthews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Matthews Cemetery
  • Butler Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Butler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Butler Cemetery
  • Emory Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emory Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emory Cemetery
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Matthews Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Matthews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Matthews Cemetery
  • Travis Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Travis Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Travis Park Cemetery
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
  • Harris Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery
  • Nazareth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nazareth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nazareth Cemetery
  • Continue List   (295 more) ...
    • Corinth Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corinth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corinth Cemetery
    • Richland Springs Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richland Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richland Springs Cemetery
    • Johnsons Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnsons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnsons Cemetery

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 Merchant in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merchant.

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

  • Batesburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Silverstreet
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Leesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ridge Spring
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Monetta
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Fredonia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Fredonia is located in Lexington County
  • Ella
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ella have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
    • Ella is located in Lexington County
  • Prosperity
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Chappells
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Meeting Street
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeting Street have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeting Street
    • Meeting Street is located in Edgefield County
  • Johnston
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Summit
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in Lexington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Slighs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
      • Slighs is located in Newberry County
    • Helena
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Newberry County
    • Samaria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samaria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
      • Samaria is located in Lexington County

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

The official website for Saluda County: www.saludacounty.sc.gov/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/

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 Merchant, 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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merchant) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merchant. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0382, Longitude: -81.6693       In this case, the coordinates for Merchant have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024