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 Darwin Downs (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 Darwin Downs. 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 southeast 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 south.
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 south 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.
Darwin Downs 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 Darwin Downs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Darwin Downs:
- Madison County (The home county of Darwin Downs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Lincoln
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Lincoln is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Chase
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Chase is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
- Greenwycke Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Greenwycke Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwycke Village
- Huntsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Normal
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mercury
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mercury is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercury
- Ryland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Country Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Country Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- Chelsea
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chelsea is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Brownsboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Big Cove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Cove is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cove
- Rideout Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Rideout Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rideout Village
- Maysville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Maysville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
- Colbert County
- Garner ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Garner is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
- Cullman County
- Joppa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Paint Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Paint Rock is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Rock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Trenton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hollytree
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Hollytree is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollytree
- Woodville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Princeton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Princeton is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Pleasant Groves
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Groves is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Groves
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Beachboro ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Beachboro is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beachboro
- Lim Rock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lim Rock is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lim Rock
- Baileytown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Baileytown is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileytown
- Aspel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Aspel is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspel
- Estillfork
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Estillfork is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estillfork
- Francisco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Francisco is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
- Cumberland Mountain Farm Colony ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Limestone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Capshaw
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Capshaw is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capshaw
- Center Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Center Hill is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Hill
- Swancott
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Swancott is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swancott
- Wooley Springs ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wooley Springs is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooley Springs
- Westlake
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Westlake is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
- Belle Mina
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Belle Mina is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Mina
- Fairmount
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fairmount is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
- Caro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Caro is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caro
- Mooresville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Country Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Country Village is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- Ardmore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Estaville ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Estaville is located in Limestone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estaville
- Athens
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Ferns Quarter ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ferns Quarter is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferns Quarter
- Grant
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Union Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fort Deposit ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Deposit is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Deposit
- Friendship
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Friendship is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Ruth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ruth is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Grassy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Grassy is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy
- Scant City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Scant City is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scant City
- Columbus City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Columbus City is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City
- Hog Jaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hog Jaw is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Jaw
- Pine Lake Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Pine Lake Village is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake Village
- Columbus City Ferry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Columbus City Ferry is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City Ferry
- North ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- North is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Lacey's Spring
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Morgan City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Valhermoso Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bluff City ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bluff City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Briscoe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Briscoe is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briscoe
- Winton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Winton is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winton
- Apple Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Somerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Somerville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Florette
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Florette is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florette
- Priceville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Burningtree Mountain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burningtree Mountain is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burningtree Mountain
- Decatur
(25 miles [40.2 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>
- Austinville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Austinville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinville
- Franklin County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Huntland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beans Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Beans Creek is located in Franklin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Creek
- Giles County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Ardmore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Elkmont Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Elkmont Springs is located in Giles County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkmont Springs
- Dickson Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dickson Town is located in Giles County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickson Town
- Elkton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Elkton is located in Giles County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
- Wheelerton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wheelerton is located in Giles County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelerton
- Lincoln County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Goshen ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Goshen is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Howell Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Howell Hill is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell Hill
- Camargo
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Camargo is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camargo
- Flintville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Flintville is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flintville
- Population from the 2010 Census: 627 people
- Park City Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- 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
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Park City is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
- Cash Point
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cash Point is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash Point
- Corder Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Corder Crossroads is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corder Crossroads
- Molino
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Molino is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Molino
- Coldwater
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coldwater is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Clarks Ferry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Clarks Ferry is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
- Elk Mill Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Elk Mill Village is located in Lincoln County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mill Village
- Dellrose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Darwin Downs, see our County-by-County Page for Darwin Downs.
Cemeteries Near Darwin Downs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Darwin Downs.
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 Darwin Downs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Darwin Downs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Maple Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Glenwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rowe Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Powell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Humphrey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Merrimack Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Battle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Union Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Valhalla Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Harris Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Johnson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Taylor Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (1048 more) ...
- Normal Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Northside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brandon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
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 Darwin Downs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Darwin Downs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Darwin Downs, with the one closest to Darwin Downs listed first.
- Huntsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mercury
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mercury is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercury
- Haden
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Haden is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
- Brownsboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Maysville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Maysville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
- Bell Factory
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bell Factory is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Factory
- Moore's Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Moore's Mill is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore's Mill
- Meridianville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Gladstone
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gladstone is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Deposit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Deposit is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deposit
- Monrovia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Monrovia is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monrovia
- Berkley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Berkley is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Greenfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Greenfield is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Jeff
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jeff is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff
- Whitesburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Whitesburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesburg
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Darwin Downs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Darwin Downs.
Newspapers Published in Darwin Downs ...
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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Darwin Downs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Darwin Downs, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Darwin Downs.
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 Darwin Downs:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Madison County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Colbert County
- Cullman County
- Jackson County
- Limestone County
- Marshall County
- Morgan County
- Franklin County
- Giles County
- Lincoln 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 Darwin Downs, 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- Darwin Downs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |