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 Smiths Crossroads (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 Smiths Crossroads. 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.
Name Variations for Smiths Crossroads ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Smiths Crossroads: Smiths Xrds.
- While the name of this community is Smiths Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Crossroads may originally have been Smith's Crossroads.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Crossroads might be written as Smith Crossroads.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Smiths Crossroads. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Smiths Crossroads.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Smiths Crossroads is located in Etowah 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 Etowah County: Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall & Saint Clair.
Below are the counties that are near Smiths Crossroads. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smiths Crossroads:
- Etowah County (The home county of Smiths Crossroads)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Hokes Bluff
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cobb City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cobb City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
- Glencoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Burns Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Burns Park is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Park
- East Gadsden
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Edwardsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Edwardsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Coato Bend ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Coato Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coato Bend
- Banner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Banner is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
- Anderson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Anderson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Coat's Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Coat's Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coat's Bend
- Ballplay
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ballplay is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballplay
- Gadsden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pilgrims Rest
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pilgrims Rest is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Bird ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Straight Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Taits Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Highmound
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Highmound is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highmound
- Appalachian
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Hoods Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Snead
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wynnville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wynnville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynnville
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Colvins Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Colvins Gap is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colvins Gap
- Douthrittville ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Douthrittville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douthrittville
- Oak Level
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Level is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Mack ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mack is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Adelia ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Adelia is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelia
- Angel
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Angel is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Hebron is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Southside
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Collins ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Collins is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Wellington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wellington is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Merrellton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Merrellton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrellton
- Germania Springs ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Germania Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germania Springs
- Cochran Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Ball Flat
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ball Flat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Flat
- Ricks ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Ricks is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricks
- Turkey Town ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Turkey Town is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Town
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Leesburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Centre
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Garden
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Spring Garden is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Moshat
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Exie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Exie is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exie
- Sand Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Sand Rock is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Rock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
- Noah
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Noah is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noah
- Tucker Crossroads
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker Crossroads is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Crossroads
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Grantley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Grantley is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantley
- Borden Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Borden Springs is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Springs
- Oak Level
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Oak Level is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Palestine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Palestine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Edwardsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Edwardsville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- Heflin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Abel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Abel is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
- Fruithurst
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fruithurst is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruithurst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Marcus ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Marcus is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
- Rodentown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rodentown is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodentown
- Collinsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cotnam
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cotnam is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotnam
- Mount Zion ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Zion is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Crossville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Dawson
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Dawson is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Mount Vernon
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mount Vernon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Rains ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rains is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rains
- Clyde ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Clyde is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Dog Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dog Town is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Town
- Geraldine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lickskillet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lickskillet is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Boaz
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Whitesville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Albertville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Reedbrake ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Douglas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Douglas is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Horton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Horton is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Hustleville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hustleville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hustleville
- Minorville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Minorville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
- Peters ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Peters is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters
- Rabbit Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rabbit Town is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Steele
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Ragland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ashville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Whitney Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Coal City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Riverside
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Coldwater
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Silver Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Silver Run is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Run
- Grant Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Grant Town is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
- Lincoln
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kentuck
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kentuck is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Munford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Polk County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Esom Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Etna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Etna is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Estimated population in 2019: 902 people
- Greenway ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Greenway is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenway
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smiths Crossroads, see our County-by-County Page for Smiths Crossroads.
Cemeteries Near Smiths Crossroads ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths Crossroads.
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 Smiths Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smiths Crossroads covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Mountain View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
- The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mountain View Baptist Church Cemetery
- Trinity Christian Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2172971 <3>
- New Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reid Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Landers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Union Hill UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tillison Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Youngs Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Lincoln Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Crestwood Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ohatchee #2 Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (357 more) ...
- Patterson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Beth Israel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Smiths Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smiths Crossroads.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smiths Crossroads, with the one closest to Smiths Crossroads listed first.
- Hokes Bluff
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Laney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Laney is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laney
- Colvins Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Colvins Gap is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colvins Gap
- Reaves
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Reaves is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reaves
- East Gadsden
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Mack ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mack is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Adelia ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Adelia is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelia
- Coat's Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Coat's Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coat's Bend
- Gadsden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Duke
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Duke is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
- Sulphur Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Upton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Upton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Turkeytown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Turkeytown is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkeytown
- Markton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Markton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
- Peek's Hill ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Peek's Hill is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peek's Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smiths Crossroads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smiths Crossroads.
Newspapers Published in Smiths Crossroads ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Crossroads.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiths Crossroads.
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 Smiths Crossroads:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Etowah County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Calhoun County
- Cherokee County
- Cleburne County
- DeKalb County
- Marshall County
- Saint Clair County
- Talladega County
- Polk County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Smiths Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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- Smiths Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |