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 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 Smiths 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.
Name Variations for Smiths Ferry ...
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 Ferry: Smiths Fry. (or less commonly used: Smiths Frry.)
- While the name of this community is Smiths Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Ferry may originally have been Smith's Ferry.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Ferry might be written as Smith Ferry.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Smiths Ferry. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Smiths Ferry.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Smiths Ferry is located in Coosa 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 Coosa County: Chilton, Clay, Elmore, Shelby, Talladega & Tallapoosa.
Below are the counties that are near Smiths Ferry. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smiths Ferry:
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Highland Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Lake is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Straight Mountain
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Appalachian
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Allgood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allgood is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- Oneonta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Remlap
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Deavers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Deavers is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
- Little Warrior
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Compton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Compton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
- Taits Gap
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Hoods Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Adville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Adville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adville
- Dallas
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Dallas is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Macon
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Macon is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Ohatchee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bruner ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bruner is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Boozer ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Boozer is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boozer
- Cochran Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Southside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Beasley ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Beasley is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Grayton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Oak Level
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Oak Level is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Blue Eye ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Eye is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Eye
- Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
- Eastaboga
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cullman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Garden City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Hanceville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Black Bottom
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Black Bottom is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bottom
- Holly Pond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Baileytown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Baileytown is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileytown
- White City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- White City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Baltimore ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Baltimore is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- Damascus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Damascus is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Colony
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Estimated population in 2015: 273 people
- The Colony
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- The Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Dodge City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dodge City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
- Berlin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Arkadelphia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Arkadelphia is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkadelphia
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Nix ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nix is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
- Altoona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Springs ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
- Gallant
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gallant is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
- Walnut Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Grove is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
- Benson ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Benson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- Howelton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Howelton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howelton
- Ivalee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ivalee is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivalee
- Attalla
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Egypt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Egypt is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
- Rainbow City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Aurora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Aurora is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Ayres
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ayres is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
- Village Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
- Clay
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Palmerdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Palmerdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerdale
- Masseyline
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
- Breakstone Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Breakstone Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakstone Village
- East Trussville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- East Trussville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trussville
- Bradford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Bradford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Cahaba Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cahaba Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Village
- Chalkville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chalkville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalkville
- Grayson Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grayson Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson Valley
- Pinson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roper
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roper is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Douglas
(24 miles [38.6 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
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Whitesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Whitesville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Big Spring ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Big Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Bowen ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bowen is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Horton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Horton is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Hyatt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hyatt is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyatt
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Springville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Saint Clair Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Clair Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair Springs
- Whitney Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Argo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Argo is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
- Branchville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
- Ashville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Margaret
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
- Odenville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Acmar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Acmar is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acmar
- Parsons
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Parsons is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsons
- Wattsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Coal City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Dunnavant
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Dunnavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnavant
- Dunavant
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dunavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Vandiver
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sterrett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Calcis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Calcis is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcis
- Shoal Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Shoal Creek is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Creek
- Bridgeton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bridgeton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
- Lake Purdy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Purdy is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Purdy
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Colony
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Lincoln
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Windsong Island
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
- Logan Martin Dam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Logan Martin Dam is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Martin Dam
- East Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- East Bend is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
- Walker County
- Creel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Creel is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smiths Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Smiths Ferry.
Cemeteries Near Smiths Ferry ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths 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 Smiths Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smiths Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Hooper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Fuller Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Clements Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mardis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clear Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Calvary Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Calvary Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Ayres.
- Low Gap Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Liberty Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Moore Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Antioch Methodist Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch Methodist Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Antioch Methodist Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<4> to the east of Oneonta.
- The Antioch Methodist Cemetery has also been known as:
- Glover Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1995274 <3>
- Oakhill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (317 more) ...
- Crump Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Remlap Methodist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Argo Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
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.<5>
While we didn't find Smiths Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smiths Ferry.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Springville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Chepultepec
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Chepultepec is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepultepec
- Caldwell
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Caldwell is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Viola ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Viola is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Champion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Champion is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champion
- Oneonta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Remlap
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ayres
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ayres is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
- Argo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Argo is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
- Branchville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
- Whitney
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Whitney is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Little Warrior
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Compton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Compton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
- Ashville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Odenville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smiths Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smiths Ferry.
Newspapers Published in Smiths 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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Ferry.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Ferry, 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 Smiths Ferry.
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 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 Ferry:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Coosa County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Calhoun County
- Cullman County
- Etowah County
- Jefferson County
- Marshall County
- Saint Clair County
- Shelby County
- Talladega County
- Walker 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Smiths Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <5> | 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 Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |