RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Carolina >> Florence County >> Mill Branch >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
South Carolina

The Commemorative Quarter for South Carolina





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 Mill Branch (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 Mill Branch. 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 Mill Branch ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Mill Branch: Mill Br. (or less commonly used: Mill Brnch.)

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Mill Branch is located in Florence 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 Florence County: Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Lee, Marion, Marlboro & Williamsburg.

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

  • Florence County     (The home county of Mill Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Pamplico
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Friendfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Friendfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendfield
      • Friendfield is located in Florence County
    • Jamestown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Florence County
    • Mars Bluff
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mars Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
      • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
    • Effingham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hannah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannah
      • Hannah is located in Florence County
    • Coward
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Danwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danwood
      • Danwood is located in Florence County
    • Park City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Florence County
    • Tara Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tara Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Village
      • Tara Village is located in Florence County
    • Siesta Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siesta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Village
      • Siesta Village is located in Florence County
    • Florence
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Turbeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Crossroads
      • Union Crossroads is located in Clarendon County
  • Darlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Palmetto
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palmetto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
      • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
    • Pine Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Darlington County
    • Alexander Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Crossroads
      • Alexander Crossroads is located in Darlington County
    • Darlington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Syracuse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
    • Mont Clare
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
      • Mont Clare is located in Darlington County
    • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philadelphia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
      • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
    • Dovesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dovesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
      • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
    • Lamar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Darlington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamar <1>
  • Dillon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Latta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Floydale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fork
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dillon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Little Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Lake View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Horry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Galivants Ferry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Red Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
      • Red Hill is located in Horry County
    • Aynor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Cool Spring
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
      • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
    • Brownway
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownway
      • Brownway is located in Horry County
    • Allen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in Horry County
    • Cochran Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cochran Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Town
      • Cochran Town is located in Horry County
    • White Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
      • White Oak is located in Horry County
  • Lee County
    • Lynchburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Tabernacle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tabernacle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
      • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
    • Laughlin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laughlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
      • Laughlin is located in Marion County
    • Centenary
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Marion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Gresham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rains
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Sellers
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Mullins
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Nichols
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Marlboro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Brownsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Marlboro County
    • Drake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
      • Drake is located in Marlboro County
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Hobbs Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Crossroads
      • Hobbs Crossroads is located in Sumter County
    • Shiloh
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiloh have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Sumter County
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mill Branch, with the one closest to Mill Branch listed first.
    • Hemingway
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Moore Crossroads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Crossroads
      • Moore Crossroads is located in Williamsburg County
    • Indiantown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indiantown
      • Indiantown is located in Williamsburg County
    • Stuckey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stuckey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuckey
      • Stuckey is located in Williamsburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Cades
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Terrell Crossroad
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrell Crossroad
      • Terrell Crossroad is located in Williamsburg County
    • Nesmith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Rome
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rome. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
      • Rome is located in Williamsburg County

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

Cemeteries Near Mill Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mill Branch.

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 Mill Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Branch Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Gibbs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gibbs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gibbs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wahee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wahee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wahee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wahee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wahee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wahee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kirton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kirton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kirton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem UMC Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem UMC Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Salem UMC Cemetery is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<4> to the northwest of Florence.
    • The Salem UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Claussen Cemetery
    • Salem Methodist Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2331293 <5>
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tabernacle Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Prospect UMC Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (337 more) ...
    • Tabernacle Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabernacle Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Aimwell Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aimwell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aimwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

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

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

  • Hyman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hyman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyman
    • Hyman is located in Florence County
  • Tabernacle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tabernacle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
    • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
  • Claussen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claussen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claussen
    • Claussen is located in Florence County
  • Blossom
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blossom have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
    • Blossom is located in Florence County
  • Friendfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Friendfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendfield
    • Friendfield is located in Florence County
  • Bostick
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bostick have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bostick
    • Bostick is located in Florence County
  • Laughlin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laughlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
    • Laughlin is located in Marion County
  • Eulonia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eulonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulonia
    • Eulonia is located in Marion County
  • Centenary
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Marion
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mars Bluff
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mars Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
    • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
  • Effingham
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Coward
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hannah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannah
      • Hannah is located in Florence County
    • Howe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Florence County

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

Newspapers Published in Mill Branch ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mill Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mill Branch, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mill Branch.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Mill Branch:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mill Branch. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Florence County: www.florenceco.org/

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

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Mill Branch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mill Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0649, Longitude: -79.5512       In this case, the coordinates for Mill Branch 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.
<6>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 Mill Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025