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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 Ruffin (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 Ruffin. 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.

Ruffin is located in Colleton 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 Colleton County: Allendale, Bamberg, Beaufort, Charleston, Dorchester, Hampton & Orangeburg.

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

  • Colleton County     (The home county of Ruffin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Williams
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Smoaks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Johnsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
      • Johnsville is located in Colleton County
    • Sniders Crossroads
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sniders Crossroads
      • Sniders Crossroads is located in Colleton County
    • Lodge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Islandton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
      • Ashton is located in Colleton County
    • Canadys
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Walterboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Drigger Crossroads
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drigger Crossroads
      • Drigger Crossroads is located in Colleton County
    • Sidney
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Colleton County
    • Round O
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Ritter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
      • Ritter is located in Colleton County
  • Allendale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Sycamore
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Ulmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Fairfax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Allendale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Bamberg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Ehrhardt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bamberg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Olar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olar
      • Olar is located in Bamberg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olar <1>
    • Govan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Govan
      • Govan is located in Bamberg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Denmark
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Beaufort County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Yemassee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Sheldon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Charleston County
    • Canady Landing ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canady Landing
      • Canady Landing is located in Charleston County
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Grover
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Reevesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint George
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Dorchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Harleyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ridgeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Hampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Miley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Crocketville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Varnville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Early Branch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Hampton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pond Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pond Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Town
      • Pond Town is located in Hampton County
    • Barkerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkerville
      • Barkerville is located in Hampton County
      • Barkerville has also been known as:
      • Haywardville
    • Brunson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Gifford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Luray
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Estill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruffin, with the one closest to Ruffin listed first.
    • Branchville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Sixty Six
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sixty Six
      • Sixty Six is located in Orangeburg County
    • Bowman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Rowesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cope
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cope
      • Cope is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cope <1>
    • Cordova
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Ruffin ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruffin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruffin, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruffin.

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 Ruffin:

Cemeteries Near Ruffin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruffin.

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

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

  • Ruffin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruffin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruffin Cemetery
  • Smyly Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smyly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smyly Cemetery
  • Colonel Joseph Risher Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colonel Joseph Risher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colonel Joseph Risher Cemetery
  • Williams Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
  • Warren - Key Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Warren - Key Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warren - Key Cemetery
  • Sykes Savannah UMC Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Field Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Field Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Field Creek Cemetery
  • John Herndon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the John Herndon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the John Herndon Cemetery
  • Tabor Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabor Cemetery
  • Strickland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strickland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strickland Cemetery
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (190 more) ...
    • Breland Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Breland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Breland Cemetery
    • Trinity Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Smoaks Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smoaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smoaks 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.<4>

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

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

  • Islandton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ashton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
    • Ashton is located in Colleton County
  • Walterboro
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Miley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Hendersonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendersonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendersonville
    • Hendersonville is located in Colleton County
  • Drawdy
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drawdy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawdy
    • Drawdy is located in Colleton County
  • Crocketville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Reevesville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fifty Eight ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fifty Eight have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifty Eight
    • Fifty Eight is located in Orangeburg County
  • Branchville
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Varnville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Almeda
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almeda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almeda
    • Almeda is located in Hampton County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Cummings
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cummings have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummings
      • Cummings is located in Hampton County
    • Ritter
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritter
      • Ritter is located in Colleton County
    • Hampton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)

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

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

The official website for Colleton County: www.colletoncounty.org/

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ruffin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ruffin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0060, Longitude: -80.8142    
<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 Ruffin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024