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 Midway (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 Midway. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Midway is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega & Tallapoosa.
Below are the counties that are near Midway. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Midway:
- Clay County (The home county of Midway)
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Lineville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ashland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,872 people
- Cragford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Barfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Barfield is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfield
- Harkins Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Harkins Crossroads is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harkins Crossroads
- Mellow Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mellow Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellow Valley
- Erin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Erin is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin
- Haynes Crossroad
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Haynes Crossroad is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossroad
- Millerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Millerville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
- Elder
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Elder is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Delta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Motley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Motley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Friendship
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Friendship is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Chinnabee ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Chinnabee is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinnabee
- Hobson City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hobson City is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 749 people
- Oxford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- De Armanville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- De Armanville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Armanville
- Bynum
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bynum is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
- Bynum has also been known as:
- Bynum's
- Anniston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cobb Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cobb Town is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Town
- Eulaton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eulaton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulaton
- Oxanna
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Oxanna is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxanna
- Eastaboga
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Choccolocco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Choccolocco is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choccolocco
- Chambers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Abanda
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Abanda is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abanda
- Red Level
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Red Level is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Clackville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Clackville is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clackville
- Milltown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Milltown is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milltown
- Doublehead
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Doublehead is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doublehead
- Penton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Penton is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penton
- Chapel Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel Hill is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
- Stroud
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Stroud is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroud
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Abel
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Abel is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
- Hollis Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Hollis Crossroads is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Crossroads
- Micaville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Micaville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micaville
- Heflin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hightower
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hightower is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightower
- Ranburne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Goodwater
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kellyton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kellyton is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Mount Olive
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Olive is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Stewartville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stewartville is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartville
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Ofelia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ofelia is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ofelia
- Christiana
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Christiana is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christiana
- Almond
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Almond is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
- Malone Ferry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Malone Ferry is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone Ferry
- Milner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Milner is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milner
- Forester Chapel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Forester Chapel is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forester Chapel
- Wadley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Wedowee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rockdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rockdale is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Cambridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cambridge is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Morrison Crossroad
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Morrison Crossroad is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Crossroad
- Corbin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Corbin is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbin
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Chandler Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Chandler Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Springs
- Ironaton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ironaton is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironaton
- Kentuck
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Kentuck is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Waldo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Waldo is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
- McElderry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- McElderry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElderry
- Grant Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Grant Town is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
- Munford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Silver Run
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Silver Run is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Run
- Talladega
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Abihka ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Abihka is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abihka
- Rendalia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rendalia is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendalia
- Coldwater
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Tallapoosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Emuckfaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Emuckfaw is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emuckfaw
- Goldville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Goldville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Cowpens
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Cowpens is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowpens
- New Site
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- New Site is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Site
- Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
- Truett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Truett is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truett
- Daviston
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hackneyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hackneyville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackneyville
- Frog Eye
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Frog Eye is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Eye
- Matilda
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Matilda is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matilda
- Alexander City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Jacksons' Gap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Dudleyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dudleyville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudleyville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Midway, see our County-by-County Page for Midway.
Cemeteries Near Midway ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Midway.
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 Midway - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Midway covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- County Memory Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Olive Branch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lineville City Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Old Lineville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Old Macedonia Primitive Baptist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Ashland City Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Lystra Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hassell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Old Field Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (319 more) ...
- Old Providence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bellview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Concord Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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 Midway in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Midway.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Midway, with the one closest to Midway listed first.
- Lineville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ashland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,872 people
- Gibsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Gibsonville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonville
- Mellow Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mellow Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellow Valley
- Bluff Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Bluff Springs is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Springs
- Ofelia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ofelia is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ofelia
- Dingler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Dingler is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dingler
- Millerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Millerville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
- Christiana
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Christiana is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christiana
- Delta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Chandler Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Chandler Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Springs
- Almond
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Almond is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Malone Ferry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Malone Ferry is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone Ferry
- Goldville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Goldville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Emuckfaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Emuckfaw is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emuckfaw
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Midway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Midway.
Newspapers Published in Midway ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Midway.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Midway, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Midway.
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 Midway:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Chambers County
- Cleburne County
- Coosa County
- Randolph County
- Talladega County
- Tallapoosa 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 Midway, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Midway) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |