Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Owens. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Owens to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Owens, 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 Owens (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 Owens. 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 Owens is historic, it would have been located within present day Laurens 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 Laurens County: Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Newberry, Spartanburg & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Owens. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Owens:
- Laurens County (The home county of Owens)
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Ekom
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Ekom is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekom
- Mount Gallagher
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mount Gallagher is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gallagher
- Simpson ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Simpson is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Cold Point
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cold Point is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
- Collins Lakeside Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Princeton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Lisbon is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Laurens
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mountville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Cross Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gray Court
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Abbeville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Ware Shoals
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Donalds
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Honea Path
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Due West
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Level Land
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Level Land is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Land
- Cana ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Cana is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cana
- Abbeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Antreville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Antreville is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antreville
- Lake Secession
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lake Secession is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Secession
- Monterey ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Monterey is located in Abbeville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Lowndesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Belton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pelzer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Williamston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Pelzer
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
- Piedmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Anderson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Caldwell Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Caldwell Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell Village
- Homeland Park
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Homeland Park is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland Park
- Anderson Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Anderson Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Village
- Deans
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Deans is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deans
- Iva
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Iva is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iva <2>
- Starr
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Fork Shoals
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fork Shoals is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fork Shoals
- Lickville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lickville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickville
- Fountain Inn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Simpsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Woodland Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Woodland Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Mauldin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Conestee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Five Forks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Five Forks is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Golden Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Golden Grove is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Grove
- Gantt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gantt is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
- Pine Hill Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Hill Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Village
- Pelham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Greenwood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Cokesbury
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
- Hodges
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coronaca
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
- Grendel Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
- Greenwood Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
- Greenwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Panola Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
- Fairforest
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Fairforest is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairforest
- Mathews Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
- Ninety Six
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Springdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Springdale is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Promised Land
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Promised Land is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Promised Land
- Newberry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Mudlick
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mudlick is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudlick
- Chappells
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Smyrna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Old Town Ferry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Old Town Ferry is located in Newberry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town Ferry
- Silverstreet
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Spartanburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Enoree
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Woodruff
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cross Anchor
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Crescent
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Crescent is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Green Pond
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Green Pond is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Moore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Sedalia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sedalia is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Colerain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Colerain is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Owens, see our County-by-County Page for Owens.
Cemeteries Near Owens ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Owens.
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 Owens - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Owens covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Mt. Galliger Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Kings Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Poplar Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Friendship Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Turkey Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dunns Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Henderson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Andrews Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Smyrna Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (281 more) ...
- Waterloo Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Prospect Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Chesnut Ridge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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 Owens in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Owens.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Owens, with the one closest to Owens listed first.
- Mount Gallagher
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mount Gallagher is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gallagher
- Ekom
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Ekom is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekom
- Brewerton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Brewerton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewerton
- Waterloo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Princeton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Hodges
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Lisbon is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Donalds
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mountville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Barksdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Barksdale is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barksdale
- Cross Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Honea Path
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Due West
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gray Court
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Greenwood
(15 miles [24.1 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 Owens. See our List of 1890's Communities around Owens.
Newspapers Published in Owens ...
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 Owens.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Owens, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Owens.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Owens:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Laurens County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Abbeville County
- Anderson County
- Greenville County
- Greenwood County
- Newberry County
- Spartanburg County
- Union County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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 Owens, 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 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Owens) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |