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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 Williams Estates (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 Williams Estates. 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.

Name Variations for Williams Estates ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Williams Estates: Williams Ests.
  • While the name of this community is Williams Estates, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Williams Estates may originally have been William's Estates.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Williams Estates might be written as William Estates.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Williams Estates is located in Darlington 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 Darlington County: Chesterfield, Florence, Kershaw, Lee & Marlboro.

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

  • Darlington County     (The home county of Williams Estates)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Darlington
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Darlington County
    • Dovesville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dovesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
      • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
    • Mont Clare
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
      • Mont Clare is located in Darlington County
    • Palmetto
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palmetto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
      • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
    • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philadelphia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
      • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
    • Syracuse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
    • Alexander Crossroads
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Crossroads
      • Alexander Crossroads is located in Darlington County
    • North Hartsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Hartsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hartsville
      • North Hartsville is located in Darlington County
    • Hartsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Greenplains ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenplains have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenplains
      • Greenplains is located in Darlington County
    • Lydia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Prestwood Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prestwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestwood Village
      • Prestwood Village is located in Darlington County
  • Chesterfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Patrick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • McBee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBee
      • McBee is located in Chesterfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McBee <2>
    • Cheraw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheraw
      • Cheraw is located in Chesterfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,554 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cheraw <2>
    • Chesterfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Angelus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelus
      • Angelus is located in Chesterfield County
  • Dillon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Latta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Minturn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Little Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Dillon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Florence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Ebenezer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
      • Ebenezer is located in Florence County
    • Florence
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Quinby
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Timmonsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Siesta Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siesta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siesta Village
      • Siesta Village is located in Florence County
    • Mars Bluff
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mars Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Bluff
      • Mars Bluff is located in Florence County
    • Park City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Florence County
    • Tara Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tara Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tara Village
      • Tara Village is located in Florence County
    • Jones Crossroads
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Crossroads
      • Jones Crossroads is located in Florence County
    • Jamestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Florence County
    • Danwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danwood
      • Danwood is located in Florence County
    • Cartersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartersville
      • Cartersville is located in Florence County
    • Effingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Kershaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Bethune
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Pine Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Kershaw County
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Alcot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcot
      • Alcot is located in Lee County
    • Elliott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lynchburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bishopville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Atkins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Lee County
    • Manville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manville
      • Manville is located in Lee County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Sellers
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Laughlin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laughlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laughlin
      • Laughlin is located in Marion County
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Marlboro County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Drake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
      • Drake is located in Marlboro County
    • Brownsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Marlboro County
    • Blenheim
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Bennettsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Clio
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
      • Clio is located in Marlboro County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clio <2>
    • Wallace
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Tatum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Newtonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newtonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtonville
      • Newtonville is located in Marlboro County
    • Red Bluff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
      • Red Bluff is located in Marlboro County
    • McColl
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williams Estates, with the one closest to Williams Estates listed first.
    • Hobbs Crossroads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobbs Crossroads
      • Hobbs Crossroads is located in Sumter County
    • Shiloh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiloh have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Sumter County
    • Mayesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Williams Estates ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams Estates.

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

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

  • Red Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Law Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Law Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Law Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Magnolia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Magnolia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cannon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cannon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cannon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grove Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grove Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Grove Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Darlington.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #70216 <5>
  • Bryant Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bryant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bryant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Black Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Black Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Black Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Black Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quarters Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byrd Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Byrd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cherry Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cherry Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cherry Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (254 more) ...
    • Swift Creek Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Odom Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odom Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Indian Branch Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Branch Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Branch 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>

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

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

  • Floyd
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floyd have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyd
    • Floyd is located in Darlington County
  • Dovesville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dovesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dovesville
    • Dovesville is located in Darlington County
  • Palmetto
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palmetto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
    • Palmetto is located in Darlington County
  • Mont Clare
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
    • Mont Clare is located in Darlington County
  • Philadelphia ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Philadelphia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Philadelphia is located in Darlington County
  • Syracuse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
    • Syracuse is located in Darlington County
  • Ebenezer
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • Ebenezer is located in Florence County
  • Hartsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Oats
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oats have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oats
    • Oats is located in Darlington County
  • Florence
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenplains ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenplains have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenplains
    • Greenplains is located in Darlington County
  • Lydia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Society Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Timmonsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lamar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Darlington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamar <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Williams Estates ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams Estates.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williams Estates, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williams Estates.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Williams Estates:

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

The official website for Darlington County: www.darcosc.com/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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.
<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 Williams Estates, 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- Williams Estates) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williams Estates. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.3307, Longitude: -79.8926       In this case, the coordinates for Williams Estates have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025