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Introduction ...

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

We've added Polecat Bay to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Polecat Bay, 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 Polecat Bay (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 Polecat Bay. 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 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 Polecat Bay is historic, it would have been located within present day Horry 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 Horry County: Brunswick (NC), Columbus (NC), Dillon, Georgetown & Marion.

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

  • Horry County     (The home county of Polecat Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Cebu ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cebu have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cebu
      • Cebu is located in Horry County
    • Allen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in Horry County
    • Cool Spring
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
      • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
    • Cochran Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cochran Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Town
      • Cochran Town is located in Horry County
    • White Oak
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
      • White Oak is located in Horry County
    • Gurley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
      • Gurley is located in Horry County
    • Conway
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hickory Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
      • Hickory Grove is located in Horry County
    • Aynor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Vina
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vina
      • Vina is located in Horry County
    • Finklea
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Finklea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
      • Finklea is located in Horry County
    • Brownway
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownway
      • Brownway is located in Horry County
  • Dillon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Fork
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Floydale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Florence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Johnsonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pamplico
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Hannah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannah
      • Hannah is located in Florence County
  • Georgetown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Carters Crossroads
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Crossroads
      • Carters Crossroads is located in Georgetown County
    • Murrells Inlet
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Allentown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
      • Allentown is located in Georgetown County
    • Inlet Oaks Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inlet Oaks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet Oaks Village
      • Inlet Oaks Village is located in Georgetown County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Centenary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Rains
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Gresham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Nichols
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Mullins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Tabernacle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
      • Tabernacle is located in Marion County
    • Marion
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Laughlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
      • Laughlin is located in Marion County
  • Williamsburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Hemingway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Stuckey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stuckey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Rome
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
      • Rome is located in Williamsburg County
  • Brunswick County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Carolina Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carolina Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Calabash
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calabash
      • Calabash is located in Brunswick County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,360 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calabash <3>
    • Longwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County (NC)
  • Columbus County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polecat Bay, with the one closest to Polecat Bay listed first.
    • Tabor City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Emerson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
      • Emerson is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Ironhill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ironhill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
      • Ironhill is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Clarendon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Bethel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bethel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Cribb Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cribb Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Pine Level
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
      • Pine Level is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Pireway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pireway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
      • Pireway is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Cedar Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedar Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Fair Bluff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
      • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
    • Bug Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bug Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
      • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Nakina
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nakina
      • Nakina is located in Columbus County (NC)
  • Robeson County (NC)
    • Marietta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Marietta is located in Robeson County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people

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

Cemeteries Near Polecat Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polecat Bay.

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 Polecat Bay covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • St. Paul MB Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Union MB Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anderson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Westside Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Rose Hill Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Hemingway Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Kingston Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kingston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kingston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fox Branch Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fox Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fox Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Bethel AME Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Bethel AME Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the New Bethel AME Church Cemetery is located 10 miles [16.1 km]<6> to the east of Loris.
    • The New Bethel AME Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Silver Star Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1092734 <5>
  • Mt. Hermon Baptist Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hermon Baptist Church Cemetery
    • The Mt. Hermon Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mt. Herman Baptist Church Cemetery
  • Continue List   (282 more) ...
    • Chestnut Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chestnut Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chestnut Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • New Home Church Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Home Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Home Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rehoboth UMC Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rehoboth UMC Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rehoboth UMC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<6> to the west of Galivants Ferry.
      • The Rehoboth UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Rehoboth Methodist Church Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1143784 <5>

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

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

  • Adrian
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adrian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
    • Adrian is located in Horry County
  • Cool Spring
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
    • Cool Spring is located in Horry County
  • Privetts
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Privetts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Privetts
    • Privetts is located in Horry County
  • Bayboro
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayboro
    • Bayboro is located in Horry County
  • Gurley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
    • Gurley is located in Horry County
  • Conway
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Gideon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gideon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
    • Gideon is located in Horry County
  • Jordanville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordanville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordanville
    • Jordanville is located in Horry County
  • Forney
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
    • Forney is located in Horry County
  • Finklea
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Finklea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
    • Finklea is located in Horry County
  • Toddville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toddville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddville
    • Toddville is located in Horry County
  • Daisy
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Daisy is located in Horry County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Galivants Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Nixonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nixonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixonville
      • Nixonville is located in Horry County
    • Hammond
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hammond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Hammond is located in Horry County

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

Newspapers Published in Polecat Bay ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polecat Bay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Polecat Bay, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Polecat Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Polecat Bay:

The official website for Horry County: www.horrycounty.org/

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 Polecat Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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>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- Polecat Bay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Polecat Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.9452, Longitude: -79.0775       In this case, the coordinates for Polecat Bay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 30 Mar 2025