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 Charles (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 Charles. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Charles is located in Sumter County.
To see how the shape of Alabama's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sumter County: Choctaw, Greene, Marengo, Pickens, Kemper (MS), Lauderdale (MS) & Noxubee (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Charles. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Charles:
- Sumter County (The home county of Charles)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Kinterbish
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Kinterbish is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinterbish
- Ward
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Ward is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Derby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Derby is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Intercourse
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Intercourse is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intercourse
- Cuba
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cuba is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
- Whitfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Whitfield is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitfield
- York
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- York is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,218 people
- Former names for York:
- New York Station
- York Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for York <1>
- Bellamy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bellamy is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellamy
- Arrington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Arrington is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrington
- Coatopa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- Brewersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brewersville is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewersville
- Moore Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Moore Town is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Town
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Cromwell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cromwell is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
- Jachin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jachin is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jachin
- Pushmataha
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pushmataha is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pushmataha
- Pelham
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Pelham is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Lisman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Lisman is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Choctaw City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Choctaw City is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw City
- Pennington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pennington is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
- Butler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Lavaca
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lavaca is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavaca
- Tompkinsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Cedahoma ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cedahoma is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedahoma
- Red Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Red Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
- Clarke County
- Morvin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Morvin is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morvin
- Greene County
- Miller
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Miller is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Griffins ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Griffins is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins
- Myrtlewood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Myrtlewood is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtlewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
- Beckleys ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Beckleys is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckleys
- Barrons ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Barrons is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrons
- Nanafalia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Blue Lock ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Blue Lock is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Lock
- Half Acre
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Half Acre is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Acre
- Former names for Half Acre:
- Hell's Half Acre
- Luther's Store
- Pin Hook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pin Hook is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Hook
- Putnam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Aimwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Aimwell is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aimwell
- Linden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sweet Water
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sweet Water is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Water
- Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
- Clarke County (MS)
- Junction City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Junction City is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Kemper County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Narkeeta ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Narkeeta is located in Kemper County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narkeeta
- Porterville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Porterville is located in Kemper County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
- Sucarnoochee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Sucarnoochee is located in Kemper County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sucarnoochee
- Lauderdale County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Whynot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Whynot is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whynot
- Smith
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Smith is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Increase
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Increase is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Increase
- Increase has also been known as:
- Causeyville
- Vimville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Vimville is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
- Russell
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Russell is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Lockhart
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
- Marion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Marion is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,482 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
- Meridian
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bailey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Bailey is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Daleville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Daleville is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
- Nellieburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Nellieburg is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellieburg
- Hookston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hookston is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Charles, see our County-by-County Page for Charles.
Cemeteries Near Charles ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Charles.
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 Charles - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Charles covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Shearon Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Beulah Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Cokes Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Fairfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Eureka Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- McElroy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Shamburger Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Campbell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Friendship Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (255 more) ...
- Dulls Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Christopher Chapel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cagus Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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 Charles in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Charles.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Charles, with the one closest to Charles listed first.
- Kinterbish
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Kinterbish is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinterbish
- Gaston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gaston is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
- Pushmataha
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pushmataha is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pushmataha
- Cuba
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cuba is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
- Whynot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Whynot is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whynot
- Robjohn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Robjohn is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robjohn
- Kewanee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kewanee is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kewanee
- Dove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Dove is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dove
- Butler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Coatopa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- Vimville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Vimville is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
- Mount Sterling
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Sterling is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Tompkinsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Energy
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Energy is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Energy
- Hinton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hinton is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Charles. See our List of 1890's Communities around Charles.
Newspapers Published in Charles ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Charles.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Charles, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Charles.
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 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 Charles:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Sumter County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Choctaw County
- Clarke County
- Greene County
- Marengo County
- Clarke County
- Kemper County
- Lauderdale County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
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 Charles, 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 from Point A (ie- Charles) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |