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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 Rayflin (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 Rayflin. 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 and hospitals 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.

Rayflin is located in Lexington 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 Lexington County: Aiken, Calhoun, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland & Saluda.

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

  • Lexington County     (The home county of Rayflin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Pelion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Gilbert
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Summit
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
    • Batesburg - Leesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Batesburg - Leesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesburg - Leesville
      • Batesburg - Leesville is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,402 people
    • Batesburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Leesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Clubhouse Crossroads
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clubhouse Crossroads
      • Clubhouse Crossroads is located in Lexington County
    • Red Bank
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Bank have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
      • Red Bank is located in Lexington County
    • Swansea
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lake Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Lexington County
    • Gaston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
      • Gaston is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,712 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaston <1>
    • Lexington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Aiken County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Seivern
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
      • Seivern is located in Aiken County
    • Wagener
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Camp Rawls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rawls
      • Camp Rawls is located in Aiken County
    • Perry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Monetta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Kitchings Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kitchings Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitchings Mill
      • Kitchings Mill is located in Aiken County
      • Kitchings Mill has also been known as:
      • Kinchens Mill
    • Salley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Windsor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Montmorenci
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Nicholson Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicholson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholson Village
      • Nicholson Village is located in Aiken County
    • Roseland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Aiken County
    • Aiken
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Barnwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Whaley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
      • Whaley is located in Barnwell County
    • Williston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Elko
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Elko is located in Barnwell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elko <1>
    • Blackville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Edgefield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Johnston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Trenton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Edgefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Lancaster County
  • Newberry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Little Mountain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Slighs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slighs
      • Slighs is located in Newberry County
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Woodford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
      • Woodford is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • Springfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • North
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
      • North is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 699 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North <1>
    • Livingston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
      • Livingston is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
    • Neeses
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Norway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bolen Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolen Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolen Town
      • Bolen Town is located in Orangeburg County
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Ballentine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Lake Murray of Richland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Saint Andrews
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Andrews have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Andrews
      • Saint Andrews is located in Richland County
    • White Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Arthurtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthurtown
      • Arthurtown is located in Richland County
    • Columbia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hollywood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
      • Hollywood is located in Richland County
    • Dutch Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dutch Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
      • Dutch Village is located in Richland County
    • Valencia Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valencia Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
      • Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
    • Forest Acres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
      • Forest Acres is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rayflin, with the one closest to Rayflin listed first.
    • Ridge Spring
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ward
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Saluda
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
      • Hickory Grove is located in Saluda County

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

Newspapers Published in Rayflin ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rayflin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rayflin, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rayflin.

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 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 Rayflin:

Cemeteries Near Rayflin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rayflin.

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

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

  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Black Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Creek Cemetery
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Hall Town Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bethcar Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Boatwright Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boatwright Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boatwright Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
  • Davis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
  • Hallman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hallman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hallman Cemetery
  • Hallman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hallman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hallman Cemetery
  • Sawyer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sawyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sawyer Cemetery
  • Continue List   (306 more) ...
    • Mt. Herman Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Herman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Herman Cemetery
    • Scofield Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scofield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scofield Cemetery
    • Hartley Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartley Cemetery

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

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

  • Seivern
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
    • Seivern is located in Aiken County
  • Samaria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samaria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Samaria is located in Lexington County
  • Wagener
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Perry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Summit
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in Lexington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
  • Fredonia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Fredonia is located in Lexington County
  • Kitchings Mill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kitchings Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitchings Mill
    • Kitchings Mill is located in Aiken County
    • Kitchings Mill has also been known as:
    • Kinchens Mill
  • Leesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Batesburg
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Monetta
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Salley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Ridge Spring
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Sawyerdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyerdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyerdale
      • Sawyerdale is located in Orangeburg County
    • Croft
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Croft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
      • Croft is located in Aiken County
    • Oakwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
      • Oakwood is located in Aiken County

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

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

The official website for Lexington County: www.lex-co.com/

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

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 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>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 from Point A (ie- Rayflin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rayflin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.7540, Longitude: -81.4251       In this case, the coordinates for Rayflin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Rayflin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024