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 Half Chance (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 Half Chance. 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 doctors and 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.
Half Chance is located in Marengo County.
To see how the shape of Alabama's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marengo County: Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Perry, Sumter & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Half Chance. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Half Chance:
- Marengo County (The home county of Half Chance)
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Hugo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Providence
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Providence is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
- Linden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
- Linden is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,853 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Linden <2>
- Crenshaw ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Thomaston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Dayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast) - Pin Hook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Hook
- Pin Hook is located in Marengo County
- Blue Lock ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west) - Magnolia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Magnolia is located in Marengo County
- Beckleys ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west) - Half Acre
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Acre
- Half Acre is located in Marengo County
- Former names for Half Acre:
- Hell's Half Acre
- Luther's Store
- Faunsdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Faunsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faunsdale
- Faunsdale is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Faunsdale <2>
- Griffins ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Cedahoma ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west) - Tompkinsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tompkinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Pennington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Pennington is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
- Choctaw City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Choctaw City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw City
- Choctaw City is located in Choctaw County
- Pelham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west) - Lavaca
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest) - Jachin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Atkeison
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkeison
- Atkeison is located in Clarke County
- Glover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south) - Thomasville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Thomasville is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,766 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thomasville <2>
- Morvin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest) - Campbell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Safford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Safford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Safford
- Safford is located in Dallas County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Safford <2>
- Browns
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Crumptonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crumptonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumptonia
- Crumptonia is located in Dallas County
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east) - Orrville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrville
- Orrville is located in Dallas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orrville <2>
- Marion Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Greene County
- Forkland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkland
- Forkland is located in Greene County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 583 people
- Forkland
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Gallion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Prairieville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Prairieville is located in Hale County
- Arcola
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Arcola is located in Hale County
- Newbern
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Rosemary
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north) - Greensboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greensboro
- Greensboro is located in Hale County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,265 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greensboro <2>
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Freetown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Ellawhite
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast) - Uniontown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Uniontown is located in Perry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Uniontown <2>
- The Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- The Village is located in Perry County
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- McDowell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest) - Whitfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west) - Coatopa
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Bellamy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellamy
- Bellamy is located in Sumter County
- Brewersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewersville
- Brewersville is located in Sumter County
- Arrington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest) - Derby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Derby is located in Sumter County
- Moore Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Town
- Moore Town is located in Sumter County
- Intercourse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intercourse
- Intercourse is located in Sumter County
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Lamison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast) - Catherine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Gastonburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Arlington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Arlington is located in Wilcox County
- Alberta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - Anne Manie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anne Manie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anne Manie
- Anne Manie is located in Wilcox County
- Kimbrough
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast) - Millers Ferry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
- Millers Ferry is located in Wilcox County
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Bluff
- Prairie Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Prairie Bluff has also been known as:
- Dale
- Daletown
- Pine Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the south) - Yellow Bluff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellow Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Bluff
- Yellow Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Boykin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Boykin is located in Wilcox County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Half Chance, see our County-by-County Page for Half Chance.
Newspapers Published in Half Chance ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Half Chance.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Half Chance, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Half Chance.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Half Chance:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Alabama Department of Archives & History
- Pages specific to Marengo County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Choctaw County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Clarke County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dallas County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Greene County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Hale County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Perry County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sumter County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Wilcox County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Choctaw County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Marengo County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Marengo County
Cemeteries Near Half Chance ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Half Chance.
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 Half Chance covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- St. Peter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter Cemetery
- Cades Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cades Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cades Chapel Cemetery
- Holt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holt Cemetery
- Providence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
- Tabernacle Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabernacle Cemetery
- Rivers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rivers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rivers Cemetery
- St. Mathews Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mathews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mathews Cemetery
- Octagon Baptist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Octagon Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Octagon Baptist Cemetery
- Paradise Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paradise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise Cemetery
- Little Flanders Field Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Flanders Field Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Flanders Field Cemetery
- Black Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Cemetery
- St. Luke Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke Cemetery
- Continue List (310 more) ...
- Rembert Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rembert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rembert Cemetery
- Jericho Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jericho Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jericho Cemetery
- Zion Campground Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Campground Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Campground Cemetery
- Rembert Cemetery
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.<4>
While we didn't find Half Chance in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Half Chance.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Half Chance, with the one closest to Half Chance listed first.
- Linden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
- Linden is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,853 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Linden <2>
- Octagon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Crenshaw ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Dayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast) - Williamsburg ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Williamsburg is located in Marengo County
- Tombigbee ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Old Spring Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Spring Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Spring Hill
- Old Spring Hill is located in Marengo County
- Rembert
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - McKinley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east) - Shiloh
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south) - Magnolia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Magnolia is located in Marengo County
- Jefferson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest) - Continue List (14 more) ...
- Moss ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest) - Myrtlewood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Myrtlewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtlewood
- Myrtlewood is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
- Faunsdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Faunsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faunsdale
- Faunsdale is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Faunsdale <2>
- Moss ‑ Historic
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Half Chance. See our List of 1890's Communities around Half Chance.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Half Chance. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Half Chance) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Half Chance. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.2999, Longitude: -87.7278 In this case, the coordinates for Half Chance have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <4> | 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 Half Chance, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |