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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 Smyrna (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 Smyrna. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Smyrna is located in Newberry 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 Newberry County: Fairfield, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, Richland, Saluda & Union.

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

  • Newberry County     (The home county of Smyrna)
  • Aiken County
  • Fairfield County
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Ninety Six
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Springdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Coronaca
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coronaca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coronaca
      • Coronaca is located in Greenwood County
    • Fairforest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Greenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Grendel Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grendel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grendel Village
      • Grendel Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Mathews Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mathews Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mathews Village
      • Mathews Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Panola Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola Village
      • Panola Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Greenwood Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Village
      • Greenwood Village is located in Greenwood County
    • Cokesbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cokesbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
      • Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
  • Laurens County
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Chapin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ella
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ella. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
      • Ella is located in Lexington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ella
      • From Smyrna to Ella
    • Lake Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Lexington County
    • Batesburg - Leesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Batesburg - Leesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Leesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Clubhouse Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fredonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fredonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
      • Fredonia is located in Lexington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fredonia
      • From Smyrna to Fredonia
    • Summit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Gilbert
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland County
  • Saluda County
  • Spartanburg County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Sartor Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartor Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartor Town
      • Sartor Town is located in Union County
    • Delta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Delta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
      • Delta is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Delta
      • From Smyrna to Delta
    • Tuckertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sedalia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sedalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Sedalia is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sedalia
      • From Smyrna to Sedalia
    • Red Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
      • Red Town is located in Union County
    • Carlisle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Bishop Town ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
      • Bishop Town is located in Union County
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meador have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
      • Meador is located in Union County
    • Union
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Smyrna ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smyrna.

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

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

  • Smyrna Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smyrna Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smyrna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West End Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West End Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West End Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Browns Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Browns Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Browns Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shady Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shady Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bush River Meetinghouse Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bush River Meetinghouse Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bush River Meetinghouse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosemont Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Little Beaver Dam Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Beaver Dam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Beaver Dam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bush River Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Bush River Quaker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bush River Quaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bush River Quaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Werts Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Werts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Werts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Newberry Village Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Newberry Village Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Newberry Village Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (333 more) ...
    • St. James Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • New Chapel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ebenezer Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Smyrna in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smyrna.

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

  • Silverstreet
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Helena
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Helena is located in Newberry County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Helena
    • From Smyrna to Helena
  • Jalapa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jalapa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jalapa
    • Jalapa is located in Newberry County
  • Gary
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
    • Gary is located in Newberry County
  • Kinards
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Prosperity
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Chappells
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Milton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Milton is located in Laurens County
  • Vaughanville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughanville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
    • Vaughanville is located in Newberry County
  • Sondleys ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sondleys have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sondleys
    • Sondleys is located in Newberry County
  • Renno
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Dover ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Dover is located in Laurens County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Reuben ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reuben have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Newberry County
    • Slighs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Pomaria
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Smyrna ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smyrna.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smyrna, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smyrna.

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 Smyrna:

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

The official website for Newberry County: www.newberrycounty.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The 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.
<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 Smyrna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Smyrna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smyrna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.2738, Longitude: -81.7039    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025