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 Smyer (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 Smyer. 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 northeast 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 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.
Smyer is located in Clarke County.
To see how the shape of Alabama's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Clarke County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Washington & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Smyer. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smyer:
- Clarke County (The home county of Smyer)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Campbell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- Morvin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - Coffeeville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffeeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffeeville
- Coffeeville is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coffeeville <2>
- Glover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fakit Chipunta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fakit Chipunta
- Fakit Chipunta is located in Clarke County
- Zimco
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimco
- Zimco is located in Clarke County
- Thomasville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Thomasville is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,766 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thomasville <2>
- Winn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south) - Fulton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east) - Salitpa
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Grove Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Hill
- Grove Hill is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,709 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grove Hill <2>
- Atkeison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkeison
- Atkeison is located in Clarke County
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Bladon Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bladon Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Toxey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Lavaca
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north) - Butler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Butler is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,694 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Butler <2>
- Red Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
- Red Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Gilbertown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertown
- Gilbertown is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilbertown <2>
- Bolinger
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest) - Cullomburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
- Silas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silas
- Silas is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silas <2>
- Needham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west) - Pennington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pennington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Pennington is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
- Okatuppa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Putnam
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Nanafalia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Barrons ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north) - Sweet Water
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Water
- Sweet Water is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
- Aimwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast) - Dixon's Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dixon's Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon's Mills
- Dixon's Mills is located in Marengo County
- Ellison ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast) - Half Acre
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Acre
- Half Acre is located in Marengo County
- Former names for Half Acre:
- Hell's Half Acre
- Luther's Store
- Vineland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Myrtlewood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Myrtlewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtlewood
- Myrtlewood is located in Marengo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
- Magnolia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Magnolia is located in Marengo County
- Beckleys ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Frankville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Frankville is located in Washington County
- Bigbee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Bigbee is located in Washington County
- Saint Stephen's
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephen's
- Saint Stephen's is located in Washington County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Stephen's <2>
- Healing Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Healing Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County
- Millry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millry
- Millry is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millry <2>
- Leroy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Leroy is located in Washington County
- Barlow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest) - Mehaffey ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehaffey
- Mehaffey is located in Washington County
- Bassetts Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bassetts Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassetts Creek
- Bassetts Creek is located in Washington County
- Hobson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
- Hobson is located in Washington County
- Prestwick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Pine Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east) - Kimbrough
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east) - Lower Peach Tree
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Peach Tree
- Lower Peach Tree is located in Wilcox County
- Arlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Arlington is located in Wilcox County
- Anne Manie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anne Manie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anne Manie
- Anne Manie is located in Wilcox County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smyer, see our County-by-County Page for Smyer.
Newspapers Published in Smyer ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smyer.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smyer, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smyer.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Smyer:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Alabama Department of Archives & History
- Pages specific to Clarke County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Choctaw County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Marengo County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Washington County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Wilcox County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Choctaw County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Clarke County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Clarke County
Cemeteries Near Smyer ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smyer.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smyer covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Trotter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trotter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trotter Cemetery
- Anderson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anderson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson Cemetery
- Bashan Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bashan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bashan Cemetery
- Tallahatta Cemetery for Blacks
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tallahatta Cemetery for Blacks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tallahatta Cemetery for Blacks
- Campbell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campbell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campbell Cemetery
- Hatchet Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hatchet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hatchet Cemetery
- Webb Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Webb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Webb Cemetery
- New Prospect Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Prospect Cemetery
- Huggins Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huggins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huggins Cemetery
- Turner Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turner Cemetery
- West Bend Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Bend Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Bend Cemetery
- Ulcanush Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ulcanush Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ulcanush Cemetery
- Continue List (269 more) ...
- Bell Brewer Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bell Brewer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bell Brewer Cemetery
- Putnam Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Putnam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Putnam Cemetery
- Lucker Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lucker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lucker Cemetery
- Bell Brewer Cemetery
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 Smyer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smyer.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smyer, with the one closest to Smyer listed first.
- Cunningham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cunningham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Cunningham is located in Clarke County
- Campbell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- McEntyre
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Morvin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north) - West Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Putnam
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Tallahatta Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tallahatta Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahatta Springs
- Tallahatta Springs is located in Clarke County
- Ararat
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Womack Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Womack Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack Hill
- Womack Hill is located in Choctaw County
- Coffeeville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffeeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffeeville
- Coffeeville is located in Clarke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coffeeville <2>
- Nicholsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicholsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholsville
- Nicholsville is located in Marengo County
- Glover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Continue List (16 more) ...
- Bashi
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast) - Mount Sterling
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Mount Sterling is located in Choctaw County
- Nanafalia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Bashi
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smyer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smyer.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smyer. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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- Smyer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smyer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.8935, Longitude: -88.0289 In this case, the coordinates for Smyer have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Smyer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |