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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 Williamston (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 Williamston. 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 and doctors 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.

Williamston is located in Anderson 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 Anderson County: Elbert (GA), Hart (GA), Abbeville, Greenville, Laurens, Oconee & Pickens.

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

  • Anderson County     (The home county of Williamston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamston, with the one closest to Williamston listed first.
    • West Pelzer
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Pelzer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
      • West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
    • Pelzer
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Piedmont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Belton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Powderville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powderville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
      • Powderville is located in Anderson County
    • Anderson Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Village
      • Anderson Village is located in Anderson County
    • Anderson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Northlake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northlake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlake
      • Northlake is located in Anderson County
    • Caldwell Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caldwell Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell Village
      • Caldwell Village is located in Anderson County
    • Centerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Centerville Terrace Estates
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Homeland Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homeland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland Park
      • Homeland Park is located in Anderson County
  • Abbeville County
  • Greenville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamston, with the one closest to Williamston listed first.
    • Lickville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lickville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickville
      • Lickville is located in Greenville County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lickville
      • From Williamston to Lickville
    • Golden Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Grove
      • Golden Grove is located in Greenville County
    • Fork Shoals
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Gantt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gantt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
      • Gantt is located in Greenville County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gantt
      • From Williamston to Gantt
    • Conestee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Hill Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Hill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Village
      • Pine Hill Village is located in Greenville County
    • White Horse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Dunean
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunean have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunean
      • Dunean is located in Greenville County
    • Welcome
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Mauldin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Judson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Judson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
      • Judson is located in Greenville County
    • Simpsonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamston, with the one closest to Williamston listed first.
    • Hodges
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cokesbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cokesbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
      • Cokesbury is located in Greenwood County
  • Laurens County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamston, with the one closest to Williamston listed first.
    • Princeton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Laurens County
    • Green Pond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Gray Court
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Mount Gallagher
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Simpson ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
      • Simpson is located in Laurens County
    • Ekom
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Laurens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Cold Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Collins Lakeside Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins Lakeside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins Lakeside Village
      • Collins Lakeside Village is located in Laurens County
    • Lisbon ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lisbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Laurens County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lisbon
      • From Williamston to Lisbon
    • Waterloo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Oconee County
  • Pickens County
  • Spartanburg County
  • Hart County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamston, with the one closest to Williamston listed first.
    • Crawfords Ferry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawfords Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawfords Ferry
      • Crawfords Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 473 people
    • Cooleys Ferry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooleys Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooleys Ferry
      • Cooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 529 people
    • Dooleys Ferry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dooleys Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleys Ferry
      • Dooleys Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 136 people
    • Reed Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek
      • Reed Creek is located in Hart County (GA)

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

Cemeteries Near Williamston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamston.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Williamston had a population of 935 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Williamston had a population of 4,298 people.

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

  • Pelzer
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Toney Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toney Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toney Creek
    • Toney Creek is located in Anderson County
  • Woodville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Woodville is located in Greenville County
  • Piedmont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Belton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Piercetown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piercetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piercetown
    • Piercetown is located in Anderson County
  • Lickville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lickville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickville
    • Lickville is located in Greenville County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lickville
    • From Williamston to Lickville
  • Fork Shoals
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Honea Path
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Princeton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
    • Princeton is located in Laurens County
  • White Horse
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Varennes ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varennes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varennes
    • Varennes is located in Anderson County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Williamston ...

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 Williamston.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Williamston. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Williamston and those printed in the larger area surrounding Williamston.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<5> of Williamston.

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 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 Williamston:

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

The official website for Anderson County: www.andersoncountysc.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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 from Point A (ie- Williamston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Williamston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.6191, Longitude: -82.4768    
<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 Williamston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025