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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 Ragland (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 Ragland. 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.

Ragland is located in Saint Clair 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 Saint Clair County: Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby & Talladega.

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

  • Saint Clair County     (The home county of Ragland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Coal City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wattsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
    • Ashville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Riverside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Seddon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Whitney Junction
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Avondale Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
    • Steele
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Steele is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Steele <1>
    • Glen City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
    • Pell City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cropwell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Branchville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Straight Mountain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
    • Appalachian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Highland Lake
      (18 miles [29 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoods Crossroads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
    • Allgood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Allgood is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Bird ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bird is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
    • Oneonta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Rosa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosa is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
    • Remlap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Deavers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Deavers is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
    • Compton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Macon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Boozer ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Boozer is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boozer
    • Bruner ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bruner is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
    • Ohatchee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
    • Beasley ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Beasley is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
    • Cochran Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Blue Eye ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Blue Eye is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Eye
    • Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
    • Grayton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Morrisville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Clark ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Clark is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
  • Cherokee County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Elder
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Erin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Cleburne County
    • Abel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Abel is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
  • Etowah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
    • Markton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pilgrims Rest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rainbow City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Attalla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Clear Springs ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
    • Gallant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Cobb City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Cobb City is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
    • Glencoe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Burns Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Nix ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Nix is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
    • Alabama City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Alabama City is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama City
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Ayres
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Breakstone Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Breakstone Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakstone Village
    • East Trussville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • East Trussville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trussville
    • Leeds
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Cahaba Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Cahaba Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Village
    • Clay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Roper
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Trussville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Village Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
    • Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Lola City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lola City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola City
    • Grayson Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Grayson Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson Valley
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland listed first.
    • Whitesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Douglas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Douglas is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
    • Reedbrake ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
  • Shelby County
  • Talladega County

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

Cemeteries Near Ragland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ragland.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ragland, with the one closest to Ragland 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ragland had a population of 513 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ragland had a population of 1,718 people.

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

  • Fairview
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Fairview is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Macon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Refuge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Refuge is located in Talladega County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
  • Bruner ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bruner is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
  • Francis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Francis is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francis
  • Ohatchee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Ottery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Ottery is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottery
  • Coal City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
  • Hood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Hood is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
  • Riverside
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Ashville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ragland ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ragland.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ragland. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ragland and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ragland.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4> of Ragland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Ragland:

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 Ragland, 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 from Point A (ie- Ragland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.