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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 Wood Valley (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 Wood Valley. 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 Wood Valley ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Wood Valley: Wood Vly. (or less commonly used: Wood Vally. or Wood Vlly.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Wood Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Wood Valley.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Wood Valley is located in Aiken 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 Aiken County: Burke (GA), Richmond (GA), Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, Orangeburg & Saluda.

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

  • Aiken County     (The home county of Wood Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Huntcliff
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Huntcliff is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntcliff
    • Gloverville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Warrenville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Langley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Aiken
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Graniteville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Roseland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Roseland is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • New Ellenton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bath
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Burnettown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Burnettown is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnettown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,769 people
    • Montmorenci
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Clearwater
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Barnwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Williston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Elko
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Snelling
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Snelling is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snelling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
    • Reynold
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Reynold is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynold
    • Whaley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Whaley is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
    • Hattieville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Hattieville is located in Barnwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattieville
    • Blackville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Barnwell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Edgefield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Murphys Estates
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Murphys Estates is located in Edgefield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphys Estates
    • Lenoir ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lenoir is located in Edgefield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenoir
    • Trenton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Edgefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Johnston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Colliers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Colliers is located in Edgefield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colliers
  • McCormick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Clarks Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Modoc
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Orangeburg County
    • Springfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Saluda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Ridge Spring
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Ward
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Columbia County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Memory Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Memory Park is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memory Park
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 122 people
    • Lulaville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Lulaville is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lulaville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,961 people
    • Martinez
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Arrow Head
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Arrow Head is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrow Head
    • Lamkin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Lamkin is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamkin
    • Evans
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Snead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Snead is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snead
      • Estimated population in 2019: 20,077 people
    • Fort Gordon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Forrest ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Forrest is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forrest
    • Grovetown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Grovetown is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grovetown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,639 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grovetown <1>
    • Kiokee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Kiokee is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiokee
    • Maddox
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Maddox is located in Columbia County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddox
  • Richmond County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wood Valley, with the one closest to Wood Valley listed first.
    • Augusta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • National Hills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • National Hills is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National Hills
    • Fairvale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairvale is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairvale
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 6,769 people
    • Nixon ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Nixon is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
    • Rockbrook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Rockbrook is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 160 people
    • Southgate Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Southgate Village is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southgate Village
    • Bonair
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bonair is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonair
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 3,135 people
    • Fleming Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Fleming Heights is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleming Heights
      • Estimated population in 2019: 717 people
    • Forest Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Richmond Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Richmond Hills is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 13,839 people
    • Waverly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Waverly is located in Richmond County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Gracewood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Wood Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wood Valley.

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 Wood Valley - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Millbrook Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Glover Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Glover Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Harris Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • New Langley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Old Langley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Graniteville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • First Baptist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Thaddeus Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (262 more) ...
    • Sunset Memorial Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Williams Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Langley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Graniteville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Aiken
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Roseland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Roseland is located in Aiken County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
  • Bath
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Talatha
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Talatha is located in Aiken County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talatha
  • Montmorenci
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Beech Island
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Vaucluse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Croft
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Croft is located in Aiken County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
  • Oakwood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Oakwood is located in Aiken County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
  • Jackson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hawthorne ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Hawthorne is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne
    • Hamburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Hamburg is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
    • Milledgeville ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Milledgeville is located in Aiken County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milledgeville

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

Newspapers Published in Wood Valley ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wood Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wood Valley, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wood Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Wood Valley:

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