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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 Thunderwoods (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 Thunderwoods. 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 and 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.

Thunderwoods is located in Kershaw 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 Kershaw County: Chesterfield, Darlington, Fairfield, Lancaster, Lee, Richland & Sumter.

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

  • Kershaw County     (The home county of Thunderwoods)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Lugoff
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Spring Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
    • Elgin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Elgin is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <1>
    • Camden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Log Town ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Log Town is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
    • Lafayette Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
    • Shepard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Shepard is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepard
    • Liberty Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Westville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cassatt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kershaw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bethune
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Chester County
    • Great Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Ridgeway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Smallwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
    • Winnsboro Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
    • Winnsboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rion
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Mitford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Mitford is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
    • Adger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Adger is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
    • White Oak
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Oakhurst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Oakhurst is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakhurst
    • Heath Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Bell Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
    • Springdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Elgin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Elgin is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Manville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Manville is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manville
    • Bishopville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • West Columbia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cayce
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Seven Oaks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Irmo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Irmo is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <1>
    • Springdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Springdale is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Arthur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Arthur is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
    • Oak Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Pineridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Pineridge is located in Lexington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Blythewood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Woodfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodfield is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
    • Arcadia Lakes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
    • Dentsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ravenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Ravenwood is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
    • Belmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brickyard Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
    • Capitol View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Capitol View is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
    • Forest Acres
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest Acres is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
    • Bruner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Bruner is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
    • Valencia Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Valencia Heights is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia Heights
    • Arthurtown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Arthurtown is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthurtown
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thunderwoods, with the one closest to Thunderwoods listed first.
    • Rembert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Horatio
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Claremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Claremont is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
    • Oakland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Stateburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Stateburg is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
    • Dalzell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cherryvale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Cherryvale is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryvale
    • Wedgefield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cane Savannah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cane Savannah is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Savannah
    • Sumter Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Sumter Junction is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumter Junction
    • Millwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Millwood is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
    • Mulberry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Mulberry is located in Sumter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry

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

Cemeteries Near Thunderwoods ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thunderwoods.

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

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

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

  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Hardshell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardshell Cemetery
    • The Hardshell Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Jackson Cemetery
  • Parker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Chestnut Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Porter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Quaker Burying Ground
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Good Aim Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Concord Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Jewish Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (241 more) ...
    • Prospect Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hermitage Baptist Church Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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 Thunderwoods in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Thunderwoods.

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

  • Camden
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Cantey
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Cantey is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantey
  • Stockton ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stockton is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
  • Longtown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Longtown is located in Fairfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
  • Boykin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Boykin is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
  • Dekalb
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Dekalb is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dekalb
  • Sharp
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Sharp is located in Richland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
  • Killian
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Killian is located in Richland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
  • Ridgeway
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Hagood
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hagood is located in Sumter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagood
  • Rembert
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Pisgah
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Pisgah is located in Sumter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Antioch
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Antioch is located in Kershaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Liberty Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Westville
      (17 miles [27.4 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 Thunderwoods. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thunderwoods.

Newspapers Published in Thunderwoods ...

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 Thunderwoods.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thunderwoods, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thunderwoods.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Thunderwoods:

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