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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 Powell (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 Powell. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Powell is located in DeKalb 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 DeKalb County: Cherokee, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall, Chattooga (GA), Dade (GA) & Walker (GA).

Below are the counties that are near Powell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Powell:

  • DeKalb County     (The home county of Powell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Shiloh
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Shiloh is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Rainsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sylvania
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Sylvania is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvania
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,860 people
    • Fyffe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Gibson Crossroads
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Luttrell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Chavies
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hix ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hix is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hix
    • Guest
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Luna ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Luna is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luna
    • Bootsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Ridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pine Ridge is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Floy ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Floy is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floy
  • Cherokee County
  • Etowah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Yancy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Keener
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Duck Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Whitesboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Sardis City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sardis City is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,776 people
    • Haworth ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Haworth is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haworth
    • Wilsonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Mountainboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mountainboro is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainboro
    • Crudup
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Hale ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Hale is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hale
    • Turkeytown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Carlisle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Rock City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Rock City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Dutton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Section
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ferncliff ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Ferncliff is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferncliff
    • Gray ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Gray is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
    • Pisgah
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Langston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Central
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellefonte ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Scottsboro
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Dodsonville ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Dodsonville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodsonville
    • Hollywood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Berrys ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Berrys is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrys
  • Madison County
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Mid ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Mid is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid
    • Peters ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Peters is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters
    • Columbus City Ferry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Columbus City Ferry is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City Ferry
    • Columbus City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Columbus City is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City
    • Grant
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Hustleville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • North ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • North is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North
    • Minorville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Minorville is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
    • Rayburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Albertville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wyeth City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Wyeth City is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyeth City
    • Fort Deposit ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Fort Deposit is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Deposit
    • Boaz
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Chattooga County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Cloudland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Menlo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Menlo is located in Chattooga County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menlo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menlo <1>
    • Chattoogaville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Berryton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Lyerly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Lyerly is located in Chattooga County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyerly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 519 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyerly <1>
    • Euthtilloga ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Euthtilloga is located in Chattooga County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euthtilloga
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 29,011 people
    • Taliaferro ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Taliaferro is located in Chattooga County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taliaferro
      • Estimated population in 2019: 71 people
  • Dade County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.
    • Rising Fawn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Stewart Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Powell, see our County-by-County Page for Powell.

Cemeteries Near Powell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Powell.

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 Powell - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Powell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.

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 Powell in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Powell.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Powell, with the one closest to Powell listed first.

  • Talley ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Talley is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talley
  • Musgrove ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Musgrove is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musgrove
  • Dutton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Mahan ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mahan is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahan
  • Luttrell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Chavies
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Thirtynine ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Thirtynine is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thirtynine
  • Lydia
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lydia is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
  • Luna ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Luna is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luna
  • Index ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Index is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Index
  • Blake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Blake is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
  • Ten Broeck
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ten Broeck is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ten Broeck
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Grove Oak
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Floy ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Floy is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floy
    • Snake Creek ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Snake Creek is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snake Creek

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Powell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Powell.

Newspapers Published in Powell ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Powell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Powell, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Powell.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Powell:

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 Powell, 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- Powell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.