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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 Pontiac (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 Pontiac. 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 doctors and 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.

Pontiac is located in Richland 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 Richland County: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry & Sumter.

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

  • Richland County     (The home county of Pontiac)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Woodfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
      • Woodfield is located in Richland County
    • Dentsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia Lakes
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arcadia Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
      • Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
    • Blythewood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Brickyard Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brickyard Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
      • Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
    • Ravenwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
      • Ravenwood is located in Richland County
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Acres
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
      • Forest Acres is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
    • Capitol View
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
      • Capitol View is located in Richland County
    • Valencia Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valencia Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
      • Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
    • Columbia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hollywood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
      • Hollywood is located in Richland County
  • Chester County
    • Great Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Smallwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
      • Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
    • Ridgeway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Winnsboro Mills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
      • Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
    • Winnsboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
    • Adger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
      • Adger is located in Fairfield County
    • Jenkinsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Mitford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
      • Mitford is located in Fairfield County
    • White Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Monticello
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Fairfield County
  • Kershaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Elgin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Elgin is located in Kershaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <2>
    • Lugoff
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
      • Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
    • Camden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Log Town ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Log Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
      • Log Town is located in Kershaw County
    • Lafayette Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lafayette Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
      • Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
    • Shepard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shepard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepard
      • Shepard is located in Kershaw County
    • Liberty Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Westville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cassatt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Lancaster County
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • West Columbia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cayce
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
      • Cayce is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,994 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayce <2>
    • Seven Oaks
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Springdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Arthur
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arthur. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
      • Arthur is located in Lexington County
    • Oak Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
    • Irmo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
      • Irmo is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <2>
    • Pineridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
      • Pineridge is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
    • Glenn Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenn Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Village
      • Glenn Village is located in Lexington County
    • Styx ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Styx have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
      • Styx is located in Lexington County
    • South Congaree
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Congaree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Congaree
      • South Congaree is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,485 people
    • Lexington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Newberry County
    • Peak
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak
      • Peak is located in Newberry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peak <2>
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Horatio
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rembert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Claremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claremont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Claremont is located in Sumter County
    • Stateburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stateburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
      • Stateburg is located in Sumter County
    • Oakland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Sumter County
    • Dalzell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Cherryvale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherryvale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryvale
      • Cherryvale is located in Sumter County
    • Wedgefield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sumter Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sumter Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter Junction
      • Sumter Junction is located in Sumter County
    • Cane Savannah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cane Savannah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Savannah
      • Cane Savannah is located in Sumter County

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

Cemeteries Near Pontiac ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pontiac.

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

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

  • Richland County Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Ft. Jackson National Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Spears Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Salem Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Church Cemetery
    • The Salem Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Salem Cemetery
  • Good Aim Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Enon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enon Cemetery
    • The Enon Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Enon Church Cemetery
    • Enon Methodist Church Cemetery
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Franklin Memorial Garden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Memorial Garden
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Memorial Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Porter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (246 more) ...
    • Zion Canaan Baptist Church Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Beulah Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beulah Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beulah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bardell Graveyard
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bardell Graveyard
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bardell Graveyard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<5>

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

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

  • Killian
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Killian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
    • Killian is located in Richland County
  • Sharp
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
    • Sharp is located in Richland County
  • Pleasant ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant
    • Pleasant is located in Richland County
  • Columbia
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Childs
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Childs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
    • Childs is located in Richland County
  • Ridgeway
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Hopkins
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Congaree
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Congaree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congaree
    • Congaree is located in Richland County
  • Boykin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boykin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
    • Boykin is located in Kershaw County
  • Longtown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
    • Longtown is located in Fairfield County
  • Lever ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lever have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lever
    • Lever is located in Richland County
  • Cayce
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
    • Cayce is located in Lexington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,994 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayce <2>
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hagood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagood
      • Hagood is located in Sumter County
    • Stockton ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
      • Stockton is located in Kershaw County
    • Camden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Pontiac:

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

The official website for Richland County: www.richlandonline.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Pontiac, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025