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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 Oak Grove (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 Oak Grove. 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 Oak Grove ...

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 occur.

Another variation: Oakgrove.

  • A typical abbreviation for Oak Grove: Oak Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Grove.

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

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

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

  • Florence County     (The home county of Oak Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Jamestown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jamestown is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Mars Bluff
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
    • Pamplico
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Park City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Park City is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
    • Siesta Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Siesta Village is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Village
    • Tara Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Tara Village is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Village
    • Quinby
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Effingham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Danwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Danwood is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danwood
    • Florence
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Friendfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Friendfield is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendfield
    • Coward
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ebenezer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Ebenezer is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
  • Clarendon County
    • Turbeville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Darlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Palmetto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
    • Pine Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Village is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
    • Darlington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Alexander Crossroads
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Alexander Crossroads is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Crossroads
    • Mont Clare
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mont Clare is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
    • Syracuse
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
    • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Dovesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
    • Lamar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Lamar is located in Darlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamar <1>
    • Society Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dillon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Latta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Floydale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Dillon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Little Rock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Minturn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lake View
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hamer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakland Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Oakland Crossroads is located in Dillon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Crossroads
  • Horry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Galivants Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Red Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Hill is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
    • Aynor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Cool Spring
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
  • Lee County
    • Lynchburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Laughlin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Laughlin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
    • Marion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Tabernacle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
    • Sellers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rains
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Centenary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Gresham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Mullins
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Nichols
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Marlboro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Brownsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Brownsville is located in Marlboro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Drake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Drake is located in Marlboro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
    • Blenheim
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Clio
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Clio is located in Marlboro County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clio <1>
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Hobbs Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Hobbs Crossroads is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Crossroads
    • Shiloh
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Shiloh is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Moore Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Moore Crossroads is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Crossroads
    • Terrell Crossroad
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Terrell Crossroad is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrell Crossroad
    • Hemingway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Cades
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Indiantown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Indiantown is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indiantown
    • Stuckey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Stuckey is located in Williamsburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuckey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
  • Robeson County (NC)
    • Marietta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Marietta is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Grove.

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 Oak Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Salem UMC Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem UMC Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Salem UMC Cemetery is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<2> to the southeast 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 <3>
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Spring Branch Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Wahee Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Spencer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Springville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Moody Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Tabernacle Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Gibbs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Wahee Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (384 more) ...
    • Grimsley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pigiott Field Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • McPherson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Claussen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Claussen is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claussen
  • Laughlin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Laughlin is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
  • Mars Bluff
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
  • Tabernacle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
  • Marion
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Hyman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Hyman is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyman
  • Howe
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Howe is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
  • Effingham
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sellers
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Florence
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Friendfield
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Friendfield is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendfield
  • Blossom
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Blossom is located in Florence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Centenary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Coward
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bostick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Bostick is located in Florence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bostick

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Grove ...

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 Oak Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Grove, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Oak Grove:

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>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- Oak Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>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 Oak Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.