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 Lester (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 Lester. 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 and doctors 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.
Lester is located in Etowah 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 Etowah County: Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall & Saint Clair.
Below are the counties that are near Lester. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lester:
- Etowah County (The home county of Lester)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Attalla
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Ivalee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ivalee is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivalee
- Bennettsville ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bennettsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennettsville
- Benson ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Benson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- Alabama City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Alabama City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama City
- Ridgeville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ridgeville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Egypt
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Egypt is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Howelton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Howelton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howelton
- Rainbow City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gadsden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Black Creek Falls ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Black Creek Falls is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Falls
- Gallant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Gallant is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Bird ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Taits Gap
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Wynnville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Wynnville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynnville
- Highmound
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Highmound is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highmound
- Snead
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Appalachian
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Straight Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Hoods Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Clarence
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Clarence is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
- Fridays Crossing
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fridays Crossing is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fridays Crossing
- Susan Moore
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Susan Moore is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan Moore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 797 people
- Highland Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Highland Lake is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Southside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Level
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Level is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Cochran Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Douthrittville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Douthrittville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douthrittville
- Ohatchee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Grayton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
- Mack ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mack is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Wellington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wellington is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Beasley ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Beasley is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Clark ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Clark is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Ball Flat
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ball Flat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Flat
- Leesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ricks ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ricks is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricks
- Anderson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Turkey Town ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Turkey Town is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Town
- Sand Rock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sand Rock is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Rock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
- Centre
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Moshat
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Cullman County
- Holly Pond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Mount Zion ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Zion is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Marcus ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Marcus is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
- Rodentown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Rodentown is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodentown
- Rains ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Rains is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rains
- Crossville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Cotnam
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cotnam is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotnam
- Rogers
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rogers is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
- Collinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Dawson
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Dawson is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Whiton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Whiton is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
- Geraldine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Mount Vernon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Vernon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Whitesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Whitesville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Boaz
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Reedbrake ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Douglas
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Douglas is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Horton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Horton is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Albertville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Hyatt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hyatt is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyatt
- Rabbit Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rabbit Town is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
- Hustleville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hustleville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hustleville
- Bowen ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bowen is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Big Spring ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Big Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Steele
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whitney Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Ashville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ragland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Saint Clair Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Clair Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair Springs
- Wattsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Coal City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Springville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Riverside
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Branchville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
- Odenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Seddon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Lincoln
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Colony
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Coldwater
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lester, see our County-by-County Page for Lester.
Cemeteries Near Lester ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lester.
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 Lester - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lester covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Red Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rainbow Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- McCartney Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lee Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ivalee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Carnes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brasher Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Alabama City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Howelton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dillard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (381 more) ...
- Conn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Forrest Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Noble Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 Lester in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lester.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Attalla
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Stanfield ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Stanfield is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanfield
- Norton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Norton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton
- Littleton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Littleton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleton
- Etowahton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Etowahton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etowahton
- Howelton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Howelton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howelton
- Steele
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gadsden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Hood is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
- Gallant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Gallant is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
- East Gadsden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Avery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Avery is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Clear Springs ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
- Aurora
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Aurora is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Crudup
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Crudup is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crudup
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lester. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lester.
Newspapers Published in Lester ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lester.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lester, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lester.
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 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 Lester:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Etowah County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Calhoun County
- Cherokee County
- Cullman County
- DeKalb County
- Marshall County
- Saint Clair County
- Talladega 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> | 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 Lester, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Lester) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |