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 Phelan (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 Phelan. 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.
Phelan is located in Cullman 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 Cullman County: Blount, Lawrence, Marshall, Morgan, Walker & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Phelan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Phelan:
- Cullman County (The home county of Phelan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- East Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- East Point is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
- Cullman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- White City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- White City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Good Hope
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Good Hope is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,393 people
- Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Hanceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- South Vinemont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- South Vinemont is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vinemont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 636 people
- Simcoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Simcoe is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simcoe
- Dodge City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dodge City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
- Trimble
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Trimble is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
- Vinemont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Baileytown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Baileytown is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileytown
- Garden City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Gum Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gum Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
- Mountain Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Mountain Grove is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- Bangor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Blountsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Blount Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Blount Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blount Springs
- Birdie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Birdie is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdie
- Nectar
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Nectar is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Hayden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Smoke Rise
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Smoke Rise is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
- Liberty
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Liberty is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Reid's
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Reid's is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid's
- Cleveland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Royal
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Royal is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Altoona
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
- Nix ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Nix is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Trafford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Corner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Corner is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corner
- Masseyline
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
- Kimberly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Majestic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Majestic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
- Morris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Morris is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,182 people
- Bradford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bradford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Village Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
- Crosston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Crosston is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosston
- Palmerdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Palmerdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerdale
- Robbins Crossroads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Robbins Crossroads is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbins Crossroads
- Sayre
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sayre is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayre
- Lawrence County
- Oakville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oakville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Hog Jaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hog Jaw is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Jaw
- Pine Lake Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Lake Village is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake Village
- Ruth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Arab
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askea Grove
- Big Spring ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Big Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Bowen ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bowen is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Friendship
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Friendship is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Grassy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Grassy is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy
- Scant City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Scant City is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scant City
- Douglas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Douglas is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Hyatt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hyatt is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyatt
- Reedbrake ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Eva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lacon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lacon is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
- Falkville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Hulaco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hulaco is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulaco
- Leesdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Leesdale is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesdale
- Ryan Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ryan Crossroads is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan Crossroads
- Cedar Plains
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Plains is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Plains
- Florette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Florette is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florette
- Apple Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Apple Grove is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Hartselle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Somerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Somerville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Danville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Briscoe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Briscoe is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briscoe
- Walker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Powellville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Powellville is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Marylee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Marylee is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marylee
- Burrows Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Burrows Crossroads is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrows Crossroads
- Creel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Creel is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
- Empire
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Empire is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- Black Warrior Town ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Black Warrior Town is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Warrior Town
- Sipsey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sipsey is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipsey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
- Red Rock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Red Rock is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Sumiton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sumiton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumiton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,330 people
- Former names for Sumiton:
- Commercial
- Democrat
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumiton <1>
- South Lowell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- South Lowell is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lowell
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Upshaw
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Upshaw is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upshaw
- Addison
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Arley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Houston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Slick Ford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Slick Ford is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slick Ford
- Falls City ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Falls City is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
- Ellaville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ellaville is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellaville
- Grayson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Grayson is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Phelan, see our County-by-County Page for Phelan.
Cemeteries Near Phelan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Phelan.
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 Phelan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Phelan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Pfiel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Cullman City Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- St. Bernard Abbey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Good Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mountain Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sacred Heart Convent Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Welti Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- East Point Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the East Point Cemetery is located in the vicinity of East Point
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (527 more) ...
- Bethsaida Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview West Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Phelan had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Phelan, with the one closest to Phelan listed first.
- Cullman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Trimble
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Trimble is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
- Simcoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Simcoe is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simcoe
- Walter
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Walter is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walter
- Garden City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Gum Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gum Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
- Logan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bangor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Holly Pond
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Bremen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wilhites
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Wilhites is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilhites
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Blount Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Blount Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blount Springs
- Joy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Joy is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
- Blountsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Phelan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Phelan.
Newspapers Published in Phelan ...
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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Phelan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Phelan, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Phelan.
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 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 Phelan:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Cullman County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Etowah County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- Marshall County
- Morgan County
- Walker County
- Winston 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 Phelan, 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- Phelan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |