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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 Testo (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 Testo. 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 doctors 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.

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

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

  • Lexington County     (The home county of Testo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Pelion
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Gaston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Gaston is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,712 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaston <1>
    • Swansea
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Red Bank
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Red Bank is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
    • Glenn Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Glenn Village is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Village
    • South Congaree
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • South Congaree is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Congaree
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,485 people
    • Styx ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Styx is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Styx
    • Pineridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pineridge is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
    • Oak Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Springdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Springdale is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Arthur
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Arthur is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
    • Lexington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Gilbert
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Aiken County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Perry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Seivern
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Seivern is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
    • Wagener
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Salley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Camp Rawls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Camp Rawls is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Rawls
    • Kitchings Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kitchings Mill is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitchings Mill
      • Kitchings Mill has also been known as:
      • Kinchens Mill
    • Monetta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Windsor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakwood is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
    • Montmorenci
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Nicholson Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Nicholson Village is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholson Village
  • Barnwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Whaley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Whaley is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
    • Williston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Blackville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Elko
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Elko is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elko <1>
    • Reynold
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Reynold is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynold
  • Calhoun County
    • Saint Matthews
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Lancaster County
  • Newberry County
    • Little Mountain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Orangeburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Woodford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodford is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • North
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • North is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 699 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North <1>
    • Livingston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Livingston is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
    • Boiling Spring ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Boiling Spring is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Spring
    • Neeses
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Springfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Norway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bolen Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolen Town is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolen Town
    • Jamison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jamison is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamison
    • Stilton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Stilton is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilton
    • Edisto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Edisto is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edisto
    • Brookdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Brookdale is located in Orangeburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookdale
    • Cordova
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Arthurtown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Arthurtown is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthurtown
    • Columbia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hollywood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hollywood is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Saint Andrews
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Saint Andrews is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Andrews
    • Valencia Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
    • Hopkins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Capitol View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Capitol View is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
    • Forest Acres
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Acres is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
    • Pinewood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Pinewood is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood
    • Belmont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Brickyard Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
    • Ravenwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ravenwood is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
    • Ballentine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Testo, with the one closest to Testo listed first.
    • Ridge Spring
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Ward
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Testo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Testo.

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 Testo - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Testo covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Scofield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bachman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Reichter - Richter Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Jeffcoat - Chaney Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Leaird Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Neese Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Larkin Glen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Taylor Justice Graveyard
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Herman Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (324 more) ...
    • Boiling Springs Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Creek Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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>

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

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

  • Gaston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Gaston is located in Lexington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,712 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaston <1>
  • Swansea
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodford is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
  • Pineridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pineridge is located in Lexington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
  • Seivern
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Seivern is located in Aiken County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seivern
  • Wagener
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Perry
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • North
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • North is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 699 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North <1>
  • Arthur
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Arthur is located in Lexington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
  • Sawyerdale
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Sawyerdale is located in Orangeburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyerdale
  • Cayce
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cayce is located in Lexington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,994 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayce <1>
  • Spring Hill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Spring Hill is located in Lexington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Summit
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Summit is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
    • Samaria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Samaria is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Salley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Testo ...

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 168 newspapers that have been published in the area around Testo.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Testo, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Testo.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Testo:

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 Testo, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Testo) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.