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 Ragan Chapel (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 Ragan Chapel. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Ragan Chapel is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Saint Clair & Talladega.
Below are the counties that are near Ragan Chapel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ragan Chapel:
- Calhoun County (The home county of Ragan Chapel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Ohatchee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Macon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Macon is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Beasley ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Beasley is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Boozer ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Boozer is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boozer
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Bruner ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bruner is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Morrisville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Morrisville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisville
- Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
- Grayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Clark ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Clark is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Cochran Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Bera ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bera is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bera
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Straight Mountain
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Appalachian
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Highland Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Highland Lake is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Taits Gap
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Bird ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Hoods Crossroads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Oneonta
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Allgood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Allgood is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- Fridays Crossing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fridays Crossing is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fridays Crossing
- Wynnville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wynnville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynnville
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Ball Flat
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ball Flat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Flat
- Ricks ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ricks is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricks
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Elder
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elder is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Erin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Erin is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin
- Haynes Crossroad
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Haynes Crossroad is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossroad
- Delta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Abel
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Abel is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
- Heflin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hollis Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hollis Crossroads is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Crossroads
- Grantley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Grantley is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantley
- Edwardsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Edwardsville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
- Markton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Markton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
- Pilgrims Rest
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Pilgrims Rest is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
- Cobb City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cobb City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
- Rainbow City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Glencoe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Burns Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Burns Park is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Park
- Attalla
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- East Gadsden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Alabama City
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Alabama City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama City
- Gadsden
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bennettsville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bennettsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennettsville
- Jefferson County
- Ayres
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ayres is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Ragland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Riverside
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ashville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coal City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Wattsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Steele
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Seddon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
- Whitney Junction
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Avondale Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
- Pell City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cropwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Glen City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Lincoln
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Coldwater
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Grant Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Grant Town is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
- Silver Run
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Silver Run is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Run
- Colony
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Munford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Windsong Island
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
- McElderry
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- McElderry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElderry
- Kentuck
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Kentuck is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Ironaton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ironaton is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironaton
- Talladega
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Waldo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Waldo is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ragan Chapel, see our County-by-County Page for Ragan Chapel.
Cemeteries Near Ragan Chapel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ragan Chapel.
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 Ragan Chapel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ragan Chapel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Ragan Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Middleton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ten Island Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Green Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ohatchee Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Green Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Creswell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Morning Star Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- New Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hampton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Crooks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (273 more) ...
- Garden of Memories Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wester Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Refuge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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 Ragan Chapel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ragan Chapel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ragan Chapel, with the one closest to Ragan Chapel listed first.
- Francis
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Francis is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francis
- Macon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Macon is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Ohatchee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Ottery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ottery is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottery
- Bruner ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bruner is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Morrisville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Morrisville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisville
- Grayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Ragland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Bera ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bera is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bera
- Peaceburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Peaceburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceburg
- Refuge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Refuge is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Peek's Hill ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Peek's Hill is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peek's Hill
- Leatherwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Leatherwood is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ragan Chapel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ragan Chapel.
Newspapers Published in Ragan Chapel ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ragan Chapel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ragan Chapel, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ragan Chapel.
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 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 Ragan Chapel:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Calhoun County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Cherokee County
- Clay County
- Cleburne County
- Etowah County
- Jefferson County
- Saint Clair County
- Talladega 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 Ragan Chapel, 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- Ragan Chapel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |