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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Merritts Bridge to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Merritts Bridge, 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 Merritts Bridge (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 Merritts Bridge. 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 Merritts Bridge ...

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 have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Merritts Bridge: Merritts Brg. (or less commonly used: Merritts Brdg. or Merritts Brdge.)
  • While the name of this community is Merritts Bridge, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Merritts Bridge may originally have been Merritt's Bridge.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Merritts Bridge might be written as Merritt Bridge.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Merritts Bridge is historic, it would have been located within present day Aiken 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 Aiken County: Burke (GA), Richmond (GA), Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, Orangeburg & Saluda.

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

  • Aiken County     (The home county of Merritts Bridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Camp Rawls
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rawls
      • Camp Rawls is located in Aiken County
    • Nicholson Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicholson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholson Village
      • Nicholson Village is located in Aiken County
    • Seivern
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
      • Seivern is located in Aiken County
    • Kitchings Mill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kitchings Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitchings Mill
      • Kitchings Mill is located in Aiken County
      • Kitchings Mill has also been known as:
      • Kinchens Mill
    • Roseland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Aiken County
    • Monetta
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Montmorenci
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Aiken
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wagener
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Vaucluse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Windsor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Graniteville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Barnwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Williston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Elko
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Elko is located in Barnwell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elko <4>
    • Whaley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
      • Whaley is located in Barnwell County
    • Blackville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Edgefield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Trenton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Johnston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgefield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Murphys Estates
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphys Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphys Estates
      • Murphys Estates is located in Edgefield County
    • Colliers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colliers
      • Colliers is located in Edgefield County
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Batesburg - Leesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Leesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Gilbert
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Summit
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Pelion
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Clubhouse Crossroads
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clubhouse Crossroads
      • Clubhouse Crossroads is located in Lexington County
    • Lake Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Red Bank
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Swansea
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lexington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Gaston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
      • Gaston is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,712 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaston <4>
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Springfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
      • Woodford is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • Livingston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
      • Livingston is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
    • North
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
      • North is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 699 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North <4>
    • Neeses
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Ridge Spring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ward
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Saluda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
      • Hickory Grove is located in Saluda County
  • Columbia County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Memory Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memory Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memory Park
      • Memory Park is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 122 people
    • Lulaville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lulaville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lulaville
      • Lulaville is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,961 people
    • Martinez
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinez have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinez
      • Martinez is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martinez <4>
  • Richmond County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merritts Bridge, with the one closest to Merritts Bridge listed first.
    • Augusta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • National Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for National Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National Hills
      • National Hills is located in Richmond County (GA)
    • Bonair
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonair have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonair
      • Bonair is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 3,135 people
    • Rockbrook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook
      • Rockbrook is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 160 people
    • Forest Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Waverly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Richmond County (GA)
    • Southgate Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southgate Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate Village
      • Southgate Village is located in Richmond County (GA)

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

Newspapers Published in Merritts Bridge ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merritts Bridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merritts Bridge, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merritts Bridge.

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 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 Merritts Bridge:

Cemeteries Near Merritts Bridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merritts Bridge.

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 Merritts Bridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Plunkett Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plunkett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plunkett Cemetery
  • Cullum Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cullum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cullum Cemetery
  • Courtney Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Courtney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Courtney Cemetery
  • Seigler Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seigler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seigler Cemetery
  • Seigler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seigler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seigler Cemetery
  • Seigler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seigler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seigler Cemetery
  • Cumbee Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cumbee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cumbee Cemetery
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
  • Willis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willis Cemetery
  • Plunkett Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plunkett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plunkett Cemetery
  • Sawyer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sawyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sawyer Cemetery
  • Sanders Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanders Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanders Cemetery
  • Continue List   (266 more) ...
    • Gregory Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gregory Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gregory Cemetery
    • Scott Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scott Cemetery
    • Weeks Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weeks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weeks 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 Merritts Bridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merritts Bridge.

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

  • Croft
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Croft have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
    • Croft is located in Aiken County
  • Eureka
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
    • Eureka is located in Aiken County
  • Roseland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • Roseland is located in Aiken County
  • Kitchings Mill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kitchings Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitchings Mill
    • Kitchings Mill is located in Aiken County
    • Kitchings Mill has also been known as:
    • Kinchens Mill
  • Seivern
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
    • Seivern is located in Aiken County
  • Milledgeville ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milledgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milledgeville
    • Milledgeville is located in Aiken County
  • Aiken
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Montmorenci
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Oakwood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
    • Oakwood is located in Aiken County
  • Ridge Spring
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Samaria
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Monetta
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Vaucluse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wagener
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Windsor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)

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

The official website for Aiken County: www.aikencounty.net/

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 Merritts Bridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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- Merritts Bridge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merritts Bridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6876, Longitude: -81.5943       In this case, the coordinates for Merritts Bridge have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024