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 Purnells Ferry (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 Purnells Ferry. 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 and doctors 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.
Purnells Ferry is located in Dallas 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 Dallas County: Autauga, Chilton, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Purnells Ferry. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Purnells Ferry:
- Dallas County (The home county of Purnells Ferry)
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Harrell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Valley Grande
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Valley Grande is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grande
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,468 people
- Sunset Mill Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Mill Village is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Mill Village
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Selma
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Orrville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Browns
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Burnsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Burnsville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Casey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Casey is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey
- Sardis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Autauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Fremont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Fremont is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
- Jones
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jones is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Vine Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
- Statesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Statesville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Jones Bluff Dam
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Jones Bluff Dam is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Bluff Dam
- Independence
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Independence is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Autaugaville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Autaugaville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autaugaville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 882 people
- Billingsley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Haynes
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Haynes is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
- Bibb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Active
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Active is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Active
- Lawley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lawley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawley
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Riderville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Riderville is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riderville
- Stanton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Adams
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Adams is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Maplesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Newbern
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Newbern is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Rosemary
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rosemary is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemary
- Greensboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Benton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Benton is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Petronia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Petronia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petronia
- White Hall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- White Hall is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
- Collirene
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Collirene is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collirene
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Faunsdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Consul
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Consul is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Consul
- Siddonsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Siddonsville is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsville
- Crenshaw ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Crenshaw is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Flatwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Flatwood is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatwood
- Dayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Dayton is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Tombigbee ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tombigbee is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tombigbee
- Thomaston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Thomaston is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomaston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 383 people
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Augustin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Suttle
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Suttle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttle
- Vilula
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Marion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sprott
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Ellawhite
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Ellawhite is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellawhite
- The Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- The Village is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- Freetown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Uniontown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Jericho
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Jericho is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- Bethlehem
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Oakmulgee
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Alberta
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Alberta is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
- Rehoboth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rehoboth is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
- Gastonburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Catherine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Prairie Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Bluff
- Prairie Bluff has also been known as:
- Dale
- Daletown
- Boykin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Boykin is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Millers Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Millers Ferry is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
- Bethel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Ackerville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ackerville is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackerville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Purnells Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Purnells Ferry.
Cemeteries Near Purnells Ferry ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purnells Ferry.
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 Purnells Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Purnells Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Witt Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Pernell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Craig Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Marion Junction Community Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rasco Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rasco Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Prosperity Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Taylor Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ocmulgee Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (300 more) ...
- Rosehill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Parnell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Childers Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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 Purnells Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Purnells Ferry.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Purnells Ferry, with the one closest to Purnells Ferry listed first.
- Harrell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Augustin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Hazen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Hazen is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazen
- Selma
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Summerfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Summerfield is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Vilula
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Hamburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hamburg is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Bogue Chitto
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bogue Chitto is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Perryville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Perryville is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Orrville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Eleanor
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eleanor is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
- Browns
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Purnells Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Purnells Ferry.
Newspapers Published in Purnells Ferry ...
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 Purnells Ferry.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Purnells Ferry, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Purnells Ferry.
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 Purnells Ferry:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Dallas County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bibb County
- Chilton County
- Hale County
- Lowndes County
- Marengo County
- Perry County
- Wilcox 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 Purnells Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Purnells Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |