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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 Wells (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 Wells. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Wells is located in Orangeburg 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 Orangeburg County: Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester & Lexington.

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

  • Orangeburg County     (The home county of Wells)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Vance
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
    • Holly Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Town
      • Green Town is located in Orangeburg County
    • Possum Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Possum Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Town
      • Possum Town is located in Orangeburg County
    • Santee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Eutawville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Parler
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
      • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
    • Bowman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Ferguson ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Ferguson is located in Orangeburg County
    • Elloree
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Branchville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Berkeley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Sandridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
      • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
    • Cross
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Washington Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washington Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Town
      • Washington Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Judge Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Judge Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judge Town
      • Judge Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Pineville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Region Town ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Region Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Region Town
      • Region Town is located in Berkeley County
    • Pinopolis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Russellville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Moncks Corner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bonneau
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Cameron
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Creston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
      • Creston is located in Calhoun County
    • Saint Matthews
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Clarendon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Summerton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Panola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Panola is located in Clarendon County
    • Davis Station
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Shad Moss village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shad Moss village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shad Moss village
      • Shad Moss village is located in Clarendon County
    • Silver
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver
      • Silver is located in Clarendon County
    • Jordan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Clarendon County
    • Paxville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Manning
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Alcolu
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Colleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Canadys
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Johnsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
      • Johnsville is located in Colleton County
    • Sidney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Colleton County
    • Smoaks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cottageville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Round O
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Harleyville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Saint George
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Reevesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Grover
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ridgeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brownsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Dorchester County
    • Summerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Flowertown Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowertown Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowertown Village
      • Flowertown Village is located in Dorchester County
  • Sumter County
    • Pinewood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Wells ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wells.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wells, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wells.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Wells:

Cemeteries Near Wells ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wells.

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

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

  • Dantzler - Hart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dantzler - Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dantzler - Hart Cemetery
  • Martin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
  • Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
  • Liberty Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Hill Cemetery
  • Felder Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felder Cemetery
  • Providence Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
  • Shuler - Lewis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shuler - Lewis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shuler - Lewis Cemetery
  • Lewis Shuler Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Shuler Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Shuler Family Cemetery
  • Holly Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pratt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pratt Cemetery
  • Pratt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pratt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pratt Cemetery
  • Continue List   (212 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Wells had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Dantzler
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dantzler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dantzler
    • Dantzler is located in Orangeburg County
  • Holly Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Connors ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Connors have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connors
    • Connors is located in Orangeburg County
  • Vance
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Vance is located in Orangeburg County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
  • Felderville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felderville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felderville
    • Felderville is located in Orangeburg County
  • Parler
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parler
    • Parler is located in Orangeburg County
  • Harleyville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Bowman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Sandridge
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandridge
    • Sandridge is located in Berkeley County
  • Elloree
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Reevesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Saint Paul
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Paul have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
    • Saint Paul is located in Clarendon County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Summerton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fifty Eight ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fifty Eight have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fifty Eight
      • Fifty Eight is located in Orangeburg County
    • Eadytown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eadytown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eadytown
      • Eadytown is located in Berkeley County

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

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

The official website for Orangeburg County: www.orangeburgcounty.org/

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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Wells) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wells. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3725, Longitude: -80.4810    
<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 Wells, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024