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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 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.

Smyrna is primarily located in York County. A portion of Smyrna extends into Cherokee 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 York County: Cleveland (NC), Gaston (NC), Mecklenburg (NC), Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster & 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:

  • York County     (The home county of Smyrna)
  • Cherokee County
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Cabal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Lowrys
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowrys have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
      • Lowrys is located in Chester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Smith
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Chester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eureka Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Gayle Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gayle Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
      • Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
    • Edgemoor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lando
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lancaster County
  • Spartanburg County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Lockhart
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bailey Town ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
      • Bailey Town is located in Union County
    • Kelly
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kelly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
      • Kelly is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kelly
      • From Smyrna to Kelly
    • Jonesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bonham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
      • Bonham is located in Union County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bonham
      • From Smyrna to Bonham
    • Meador ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Buffalo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cleveland County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Grover
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Earl
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • White Plains
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
      • White Plains is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Kings Mountain
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Patterson Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patterson Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
      • Patterson Springs is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
    • Erwinsville ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
      • Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Elizabeth City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth City
      • Elizabeth City is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Light Oak
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Light Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light Oak
      • Light Oak is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Brittain Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brittain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
      • Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Sharon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sharon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sharon
      • From Smyrna to Sharon
    • Briarwood Townhouses
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briarwood Townhouses have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Townhouses
      • Briarwood Townhouses is located in Cleveland County (NC)
    • Flint Hill ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint Hill came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
      • Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
  • Gaston County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • South Gastonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gastonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
      • South Gastonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
    • Bessemer City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Gastonia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Perry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Perry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
      • Perry is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Perry
      • From Smyrna to Perry
    • Tryon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Catawba ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catawba have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
      • Catawba is located in Gaston County (NC)
    • Dallas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,851 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <1>
    • Smyre
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cherryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Dellview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dellview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
      • Dellview is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
    • Cramerton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cramerton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cramerton
      • Cramerton is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,511 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cramerton <1>
    • Lowell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowell <1>
    • McAdenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Lincoln County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Crouse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crouse have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
      • Crouse is located in Lincoln County (NC)
    • Lincolnton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • North Brook ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Brook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
      • North Brook is located in Lincoln County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Brook
      • From Smyrna to North Brook
  • Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Pineville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Dalton Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dalton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Village
      • Dalton Village is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • Yorkmont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Pinecrest
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Rutherford County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
    • Six Points
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Henrietta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Caroleen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellenboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellenboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellenboro
      • Ellenboro is located in Rutherford County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 830 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellenboro <1>
    • Harris
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandy Mush
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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.

  • Canaan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canaan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canaan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Sinai Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blalock Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blalock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blalock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mullinax Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mullinax Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mullinax Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ellis Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Camp Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Camp Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gordon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gordon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gordon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Heathcock Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heathcock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heathcock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Stewart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Goode Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goode Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goode Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (365 more) ...
    • Dye Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dye Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dye Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oak Grove Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Howser Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howser Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howser 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Smyrna had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Smyrna had a population of 52 people.

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

  • Kings Creek
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Hickory Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Sharon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Zadok ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zadok have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
    • Zadok is located in York County
  • Bethany
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethany have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
    • Bethany is located in York County
  • Hopewell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hopewell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
    • Hopewell is located in York County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hopewell
    • From Smyrna to Hopewell
  • Filbert
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Blacksburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Grover
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Hoodtown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoodtown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoodtown
    • Hoodtown is located in York County
  • Blairsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Clover
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Gould ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
      • Gould is located in York County
    • Bullock Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bullock Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullock Creek
      • Bullock Creek is located in York County
    • Elbethel ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbethel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbethel
      • Elbethel is located in Cleveland County (NC)

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 17 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 14 miles [22.5 km]<7>. 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 like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 York County: www.yorkcountygov.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>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.
<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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<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>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.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions 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: 35.0423, Longitude: -81.4087    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025