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 Howells (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 Howells. 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 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.
Howells is located in Covington 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 Covington County: Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Escambia, Geneva, Okaloosa (FL) & Walton (FL).
Below are the counties that are near Howells. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Howells:
- Covington County (The home county of Howells)
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Florala
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lockhart
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lockhart is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
- Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
- Beulah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Beulah is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Onycha
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Onycha is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onycha
- Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
- Horn Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Horn Hill is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horn Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- County Line
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- County Line is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
- Opp
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Opp is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opp
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,313 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Opp <1>
- Red Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Red Oak is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Babbie
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Babbie is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
- Libertyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
- Sanford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sanford is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Carolina
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Carolina is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
- Andalusia
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Coffee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Kinston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Alberton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Alberton is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberton
- Goodman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Goodman is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodman
- Battens Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Battens Crossroads is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battens Crossroads
- Central City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Central City is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Curtis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Curtis is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
- Danleys Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Danleys Crossroads is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danleys Crossroads
- Elba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Enterprise
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- New Brockton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Level
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pine Level is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
- Clintonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clintonville is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clintonville
- Escambia County
- Bradley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bradley is located in Escambia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Geneva County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Samson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Costilla ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Costilla is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costilla
- Geneva
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Coffee Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coffee Springs is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Eunola ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Eunola is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunola
- Chancellor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chancellor is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chancellor
- Scranton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Scranton is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
- Bellwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bellwood is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
- Black
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Black is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Hartford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Holmes County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Cerrogordo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
- Izagora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Izagora is located in Holmes County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
- Ponce de Leon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Westville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Okaloosa County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Svea
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Svea is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
- Laurel Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Garden City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Garden City is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Crestview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cannon Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cannon Town is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Town
- Walton County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Paxton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Walton County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Union is located in Walton County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Mossy Head
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- De Funiak Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Argyle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Washington County (FL)
- Caryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Howells, see our County-by-County Page for Howells.
Cemeteries Near Howells ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howells.
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 Howells - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Howells covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Corner Creek Upper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Corner Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Old Sardis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lockhart Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Limestone Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hall & Rivers Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (177 more) ...
- Travelers Rest Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Miller Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Crews Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<3>
While we didn't find Howells in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Howells.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Howells, with the one closest to Howells listed first.
- Florala
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Green Bay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Green Bay is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bay
- Gordon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gordon is located in Walton County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Marl
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Marl is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marl
- Ealum
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Ealum is located in Walton County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ealum
- Alberton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Alberton is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberton
- Vaughanville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Vaughanville is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
- Opine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Opine is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opine
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Union is located in Walton County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Wiggins
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Wiggins is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiggins
- Geneva
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Coffee Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coffee Springs is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Mossy Head
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Damascus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Damascus is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Beda
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Beda is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beda
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Howells. See our List of 1890's Communities around Howells.
Newspapers Published in Howells ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howells.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Howells, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Howells.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Howells:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Covington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coffee County
- Escambia County
- Geneva County
- Holmes County
- Okaloosa County
- Walton County
- Washington 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 Howells, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Howells) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |