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 Panhandle (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 Panhandle. 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 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.
Panhandle is located in Perry 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 Perry County: Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Hale & Marengo.
Below are the counties that are near Panhandle. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Panhandle:
- Perry County (The home county of Panhandle)
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Oakmulgee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Bethlehem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Sprott
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Augustin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Suttle
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Suttle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttle
- Jericho
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Jericho is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- Vilula
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Marion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Morgan Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Morgan Springs is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Springs
- Brush Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Brush Creek is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Autauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Vine Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
- Jones
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jones is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Fremont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fremont is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
- Billingsley
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Statesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Statesville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Haynes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Haynes is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
- Independence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Independence is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- White City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- White City is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Gibbons ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Gibbons is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbons
- Autaugaville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Autaugaville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autaugaville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 882 people
- Jones Bluff Dam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jones Bluff Dam is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Bluff Dam
- Booth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Booth is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth
- Bibb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Active
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Active is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Active
- Lawley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Lawley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawley
- Tucker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Randolph
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Randolph is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Centreville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Centreville is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,559 people
- East Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- East Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Town
- Brent
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Oakley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Oakley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Pondville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pondville is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pondville
- Ashby
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ashby is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Pratt Ferry ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Pratt Ferry is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt Ferry
- Brierfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Riderville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Riderville is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riderville
- Stanton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Adams
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Adams is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Maplesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jemison
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Thorsby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clanton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Verbena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Verbena is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Plantersville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Plantersville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantersville
- Valley Grande
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Valley Grande is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grande
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,468 people
- Burnsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Burnsville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Selma
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Sunset Mill Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sunset Mill Village is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Mill Village
- Harrell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Casey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Casey is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Tyler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Browns
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Hale County
- Newbern
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Newbern is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Benton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Benton is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- White Hall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- White Hall is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Wilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
- Former names for Wilton:
- Birmingham Junction
- Bismarck
- Catoosa
- Woods
- Woodsborough
- Montevallo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Pearson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pearson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Hagler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hagler is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagler
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Panhandle, see our County-by-County Page for Panhandle.
Cemeteries Near Panhandle ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Panhandle.
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 Panhandle - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Panhandle covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Fellowship Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Medline Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Crossroad Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Valley Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Harris Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lovelady Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Pisgah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Fuller Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (381 more) ...
- Hepzibah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Williams Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Peeples Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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 Panhandle in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Panhandle.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Panhandle, with the one closest to Panhandle listed first.
- Plantersville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Plantersville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantersville
- Pinetucky
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pinetucky is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinetucky
- Perryville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Perryville is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
- Dixie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dixie is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Oakmulgee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Vine Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
- Stanton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Bethlehem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Adler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Adler is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adler
- Theo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Theo is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theo
- Summerfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Summerfield is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Maplesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Sprott
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Augustin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Abercrombie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Abercrombie is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abercrombie
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Panhandle. See our List of 1890's Communities around Panhandle.
Newspapers Published in Panhandle ...
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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Panhandle.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Panhandle, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Panhandle.
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 either 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 Panhandle:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Perry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bibb County
- Chilton County
- Dallas County
- Hale County
- Lowndes County
- Shelby County
- Tuscaloosa 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 Panhandle, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Panhandle) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |