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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 Clarkdale (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 Clarkdale. 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 doctors and 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.

Clarkdale is located in Madison 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 Madison County: Jackson, Limestone, Marshall, Morgan, Franklin (TN) & Lincoln (TN).

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

  • Madison County     (The home county of Clarkdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Jeff
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jeff is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff
    • Harvest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Monrovia
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Monrovia is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monrovia
    • Toney
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Madison Crossroads
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Madison Crossroads is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Crossroads
    • Madison
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rideout Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rideout Village is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rideout Village
    • Lincoln
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lincoln is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Meridianville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Normal
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Huntsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chase
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Chase is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
  • Colbert County
    • Garner ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Garner is located in Colbert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Paint Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Paint Rock is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Rock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
    • Hollytree
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Hollytree is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollytree
    • Trenton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Princeton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Princeton is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
  • Lauderdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Confluence
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Confluence is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confluence
    • Estep ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Estep is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estep
    • Bethel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bethel is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Dells Vista Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Dells Vista Shores is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dells Vista Shores
    • Anderson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Anderson is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
    • Rogersville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Rogersville is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,293 people
      • Former name for Rogersville:
      • Rodgersville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogersville <1>
    • Cedar Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Hill is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Hillsboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chalybeate Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Chalybeate Springs is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate Springs
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Capshaw
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Capshaw is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capshaw
    • Center Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Center Hill is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Hill
    • Fairmount
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Fairmount is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Wooley Springs ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Wooley Springs is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooley Springs
    • Country Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Country Village is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
    • Caro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Caro is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caro
    • Athens
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Athens is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <1>
    • Ardmore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hay's Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hay's Mill is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay's Mill
    • Belle Mina
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Belle Mina is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Mina
    • Tanner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Estaville ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Estaville is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estaville
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Bluff City is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Decatur
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Decatur is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,381 people
      • Former names for Decatur:
      • Albany
      • New Decatur
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Decatur <1>
    • Moulton Heights
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Moulton Heights is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moulton Heights
    • Priceville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Winton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Winton is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton
    • Austinville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Austinville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinville
    • Russell Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell Village is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Village
    • Simpson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Simpson is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Burningtree Mountain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Burningtree Mountain is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burningtree Mountain
    • Valhermoso Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Lacey's Spring
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Flint City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Flint City is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint City
  • Giles County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Ardmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Ardmore is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,218 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ardmore <1>
    • Elkmont Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Elkmont Springs is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkmont Springs
    • Dickson Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Dickson Town is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickson Town
    • Elkton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Elkton is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
    • Wheelerton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Wheelerton is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelerton
    • Prospect
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Stella
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Stella is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Frankewing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Pisgah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Pisgah is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Bradshaw ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bradshaw is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradshaw
    • Aymett Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Aymett Town is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aymett Town
    • Minor Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Minor Hill is located in Giles County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
  • Lawrence County (TN)
    • Appleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Appleton is located in Lawrence County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Lincoln County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clarkdale, with the one closest to Clarkdale listed first.
    • Cash Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Cash Point is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash Point
    • Coldwater
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Coldwater is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
    • Goshen ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Goshen is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
    • Camargo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Camargo is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camargo
    • Dellrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Molino
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Molino is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Molino
    • Howell Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Howell Hill is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell Hill
    • Park City Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Park City Heights is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City Heights
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,442 people
    • Park City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Park City is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
    • Pearl City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Pearl City is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl City
    • Harms
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Harms is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harms
    • Corder Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Corder Crossroads is located in Lincoln County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corder Crossroads

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

Cemeteries Near Clarkdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clarkdale.

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 Clarkdale - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Vasser - Pettus Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Nick Davis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Joyner Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Lockhart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Hammond Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • McClellan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pettus Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Douglass - Pettus Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (1144 more) ...
    • White Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Garner Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Dedman Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Cluttsville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cluttsville is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cluttsville
  • Monrovia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Monrovia is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monrovia
  • Jeff
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jeff is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff
  • Wooley Springs ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Wooley Springs is located in Limestone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooley Springs
  • Madison Crossroads
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Madison Crossroads is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Crossroads
  • Sand Spring ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Sand Spring is located in Limestone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Spring
  • Gladstone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gladstone is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
  • Caro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Caro is located in Limestone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caro
  • Greenbrier
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenbrier is located in Limestone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbrier
  • Huntsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Meridianville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Athens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Athens is located in Limestone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,643 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hay's Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hay's Mill is located in Limestone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay's Mill
    • Mooresville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mercury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Mercury is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercury

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

Newspapers Published in Clarkdale ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clarkdale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clarkdale, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clarkdale.

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 Clarkdale:

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>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 Clarkdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Clarkdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.