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 Phenix City (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 Phenix City. 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 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.
Phenix City is primarily located in Russell County and is the County Seat. A portion of Phenix City extends into Lee 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 Russell County: Barbour, Bullock, Lee, Macon, Chattahoochee (GA), Muscogee (GA) & Stewart (GA).
Below are the counties that are near Phenix City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Phenix City:
- Russell County (The home county of Phenix City)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Fontaine Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fontaine Village is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontaine Village
- Ladonia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ladonia is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladonia
- Fort Mitchell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Crawford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Crawford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Oswichee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Oswichee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswichee
- Hugley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hugley is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugley
- Seale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Holy Trinity
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Holy Trinity is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Trinity
- Loflin
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Loflin is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loflin
- Hatchechubbee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hatchechubbee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchechubbee
- Pittsview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cottonton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cottonton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonton
- Jernigan
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Jernigan is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jernigan
- Chambers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Osanippa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Osanippa is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osanippa
- River View
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- River View is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
- Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eady City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Eady City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eady City
- Cusseta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Plant City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Plant City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City
- Huguley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Huguley is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguley
- Lanett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Smith's Station
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Smith's Station is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith's Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,804 people
- Bleecker
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bleecker is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bleecker
- Prince Crossroads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Prince Crossroads is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prince Crossroads
- Salem
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Blanton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Blanton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
- Marvyn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Marvyn is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvyn
- Beauregard
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Beauregard is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Chewacla
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Chewacla is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewacla
- Opelika
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gwen Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gwen Mill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwen Mill
- Auburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- The Bottle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- The Bottle is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Bottle
- Ridgewood Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ridgewood Village is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- Macon County
- Society Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Society Hill is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Society Hill
- Chattahoochee County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Fort Benning
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ochillee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ochillee is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochillee
- Estimated population in 2019: 680 people
- Central Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Central Springs is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Springs
- Heineburg Village ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Heineburg Village is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heineburg Village
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,893 people
- Halloca ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Halloca is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halloca
- Cusseta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ida Vesper
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ida Vesper is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ida Vesper
- Estimated population in 2019: 439 people
- Harris County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Cataula
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Mountain Hill is located in Harris County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 11,554 people
- Ellerslie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hamilton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Waverly Hall
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Pine Lake is located in Harris County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
- Pine Mountain Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mountainbrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mountainbrook is located in Harris County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainbrook
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,108 people
- Pine Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Shiloh
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Marion County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Juniper
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Juniper is located in Marion County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniper
- Glen Alta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Alta is located in Marion County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Alta
- Muscogee County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Columbus
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Bibb City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bibb City is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bibb City
- City Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- City Village is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City Village
- Wynnton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wynnton is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynnton
- Hilton Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hilton Heights is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Heights
- Estimated population in 2018: 324 people
- Maridale Estates
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Maridale Estates is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maridale Estates
- Estimated population in 2019: 60,867 people
- Saint Marys Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Saint Marys Hills is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys Hills
- Estimated population in 2019: 18,567 people
- Baker Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Baker Village is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Village
- Cusseta Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Cusseta Heights is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusseta Heights
- Estimated population in 2018: 10,684 people
- East Edgewood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- East Edgewood is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Edgewood
- Estimated population in 2019: 569 people
- Sunset Terrace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sunset Terrace is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Terrace
- Population from the 2010 Census: 846 people
- Glenns
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Glenns is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
- Estimated population in 2019: 5,020 people
- Lincoln Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lincoln Hills is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Hills
- Population from the 2010 Census: 833 people
- Stewart County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Omaha
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Louvale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Florence
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Florence is located in Stewart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Talbot County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Box Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Geneva
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Troup County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Pioneer Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pioneer Village is located in Troup County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Village
- West Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Phenix City, see our County-by-County Page for Phenix City.
Cemeteries Near Phenix City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Phenix City.
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 Phenix City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Phenix City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Edmonds Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Felix Edwards Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Zion Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Community Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Girard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Riverdale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Porterdale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Colored Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- East Porterdale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Linwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Newsome Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (241 more) ...
- Dudleyville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Abercombie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lakeview Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Memory Gardens
- The Lakeview Memory Gardens has also been known as:
- Lake View Memory Gardens
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 Phenix City in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Phenix City.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Phenix City, with the one closest to Phenix City listed first.
- Girard
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Girard is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
- Columbus
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Ladonia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ladonia is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladonia
- Muscogee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Muscogee is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscogee
- Esquiline ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Esquiline is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esquiline
- Smith's Station
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Smith's Station is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith's Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,804 people
- Fort Mitchell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Schatulga
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Schatulga is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schatulga
- Crawford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Crawford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Flat Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Rock is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Ochillee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ochillee is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochillee
- Estimated population in 2019: 680 people
- Fortson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Oswichee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Oswichee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswichee
- Cottage Mills ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cottage Mills is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Mills
- Midland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Phenix City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Phenix City.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Phenix City ...
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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Phenix City.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Phenix City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Phenix City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Phenix City.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4> of Phenix City.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Phenix City:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Russell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chambers County
- Lee County
- Macon County
- Chattahoochee County
- Harris County
- Marion County
- Muscogee County
- Stewart County
- Talbot County
- Troup 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 Phenix City, 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- Phenix City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |