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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 Orrs (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 Orrs. 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 northeast 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 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.

Orrs is located in Chester 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 Chester County: Fairfield, Lancaster, Union & York.

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

  • Chester County     (The home county of Orrs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Eureka Mill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
    • Richburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Chester
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Gayle Mill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
    • Smith
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Smith is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
    • Lando
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Edgemoor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Lowrys
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Lowrys is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Cornwell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Cornwell is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
    • Blackstock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Fort Lawn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Great Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Cherokee County
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Woodward
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Woodward is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
    • White Oak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Mitford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Mitford is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
    • Adger
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Adger is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
    • Winnsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Winnsboro Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
    • Blair
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Monticello
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
    • Rion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Ridgeway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Kershaw County
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Springdell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Springdell is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdell
    • Bell Town
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
    • Caskey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Caskey is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caskey
    • Riverside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Riverside is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Irwin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Irwin is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
    • Lancaster Mill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Lancaster Mill is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Mill
    • Van Wyck
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lancaster
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Elgin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Elgin is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
    • Camp Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Camp Creek is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
    • Indian Land
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Camp Cox
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Camp Cox is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Cox
  • Newberry County
    • Glymphville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Glymphville is located in Newberry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glymphville
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Lockhart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Carlisle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Meador is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
    • Tuckertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Tuckertown is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckertown
    • Bailey Town ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bailey Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Red Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
    • Delta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Delta is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
    • Sartor Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
    • Kelly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Kelly is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
    • Union
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bonham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bonham is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • McConnells
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Catawba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lesslie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lesslie is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesslie
    • Roddey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Roddey is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roddey
      • Roddey has also been known as:
      • Coates Tavern
    • Newport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Newport is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Blairsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Blairsville is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
    • India Hook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • India Hook is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
    • York
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Sharon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Riverview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Riverview is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
    • Fort Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Gaston County (NC)
    • Begonia ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
  • Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Pineville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pineville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pineville <1>
    • Weddington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Weddington is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weddington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,389 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weddington <1>
  • Union County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrs, with the one closest to Orrs listed first.
    • Jaars
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jaars is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaars
    • Waxhaw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Waxhaw is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waxhaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waxhaw <1>
    • Marvin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Marvin is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
    • Jackson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jackson is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
    • Mineral Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • White Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • White Oak is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak

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

Cemeteries Near Orrs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orrs.

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 Orrs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Orrs had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Knox
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Knox is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
  • Rodman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rodman is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman
  • Richburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Chester
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Wellridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wellridge is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellridge
  • Smith
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Smith is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
  • Cornwell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Cornwell is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
  • Bascomville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Bascomville is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bascomville
  • Rossville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rossville is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
  • Blackstock
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Sandy River
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Sandy River is located in Chester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy River
  • Harmony
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Harmony is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Baton Rouge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Baton Rouge is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton Rouge
    • Woodward
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Woodward is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
    • Fort Lawn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Orrs ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orrs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orrs, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orrs.

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 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 Orrs:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Orrs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Orrs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.