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 Switzer (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 Switzer. 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.
Switzer is located in Spartanburg County.
To see how the shape of South Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Spartanburg County: Polk (NC), Rutherford (NC), Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Switzer. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Switzer:
- Spartanburg County (The home county of Switzer)
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Moore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Green Pond
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Green Pond is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Woodruff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Crescent
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Crescent is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Roebuck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Reidville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brookside Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Brookside Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside Village
- Pauline
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Franklin Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Franklin Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Village
- Startex
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Arcadia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Enoree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Abbeville County
- Ware Shoals
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Piedmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Pelzer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Powderville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Powderville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
- West Pelzer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
- Williamston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Macedonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Chesnee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gaffney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Five Forks
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Five Forks is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Pelham
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Fountain Inn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Woodland Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Simpsonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Greer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chick Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- East Gate Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- Mauldin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Taylors
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Conestee
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Wade Hampton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Gray Court
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Tylersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tylersville is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Green Pond
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Laurens
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Clinton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Simpson ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Simpson is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Princeton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Cold Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Cold Point is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
- Ekom
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ekom is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekom
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lisbon is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Dover ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dover is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Renno
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Renno is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renno
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Colerain
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Colerain is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
- Jonesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Buffalo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
- Bonham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bonham is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
- Sedalia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sedalia is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Union
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Kelly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Kelly is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
- Bailey Town ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bailey Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Red Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Red Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
- Meador ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Meador is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Polk County (NC)
- Tryon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Switzer, see our County-by-County Page for Switzer.
Cemeteries Near Switzer ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Switzer.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Switzer - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Switzer covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Penden Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Flint Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Crestview Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cathcart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Green Pond Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Green Pond Memorial Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- New Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Unity Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Nazareth Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (403 more) ...
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Bethany Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Liberty Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Switzer had a population of 30 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Switzer, with the one closest to Switzer listed first.
- Moore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Woodruff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cashville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cashville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashville
- Walnut Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Reidville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Golightly
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Golightly is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golightly
- Hobbyville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hobbyville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbyville
- Enoree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hillsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hillsville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsville
- Wellford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Glenn Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Glenn Springs is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Springs
- Fairforest
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Evinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Evinsville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evinsville
- Dutchman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Dutchman is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchman
- Spartanburg
(11 miles [17.7 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 Switzer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Switzer.
Newspapers Published in Switzer ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Switzer.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Switzer, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Switzer.
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 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 Switzer:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Spartanburg County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Abbeville County
- Anderson County
- Cherokee County
- Greenville County
- Laurens County
- Union County
- Polk County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 Switzer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Switzer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |