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 Sweet Water (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 Sweet Water. 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 Sweet Water ...
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 have occurred.
Another variation: Sweetwater.
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 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.
Sweet Water is located in Marengo 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 Marengo County: Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Perry, Sumter & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Sweet Water. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sweet Water:
- Marengo County (The home county of Sweet Water)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Aimwell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Dixon's Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- 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
- Half Acre
(7 miles [11.3 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
- Nanafalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Barrons ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Ellison ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Putnam
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Myrtlewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- 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
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Magnolia is located in Marengo County
- Vineland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east) - Beckleys ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Blue Lock ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Tompkinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tompkinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Lavaca
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west) - Pennington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- 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
- Choctaw City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Choctaw City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw City
- Choctaw City is located in Choctaw County
- Cedahoma ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest) - Jachin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest) - Pelham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest) - Butler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)- 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
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- 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
- Lisman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
- Lisman is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Cromwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west) - Needham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Glover
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Morvin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Atkeison
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkeison
- Atkeison is located in Clarke County
- Campbell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- Thomasville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- 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>
- Fulton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south) - Dickinson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast) - Nettleboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nettleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleboro
- Nettleboro is located in Clarke County
- Coffeeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- 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>
- Zimco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimco
- Zimco is located in Clarke County
- Grove Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- 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>
- Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 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
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Gallion
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north) - Prairieville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Prairieville is located in Hale County
- Perry County
- Freetown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Freetown
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Whitfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest) - Derby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Derby is located in Sumter County
- Bellamy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellamy
- Bellamy is located in Sumter County
- McDowell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north) - Coatopa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Arrington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest) - Intercourse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intercourse
- Intercourse is located in Sumter County
- Kinterbish
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinterbish
- Kinterbish is located in Sumter County
- Ward
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Arlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Arlington is located in Wilcox County
- Anne Manie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- 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
- Lamison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east) - Kimbrough
(18 miles [29 km] to the east) - Pine Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast) - Catherine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Yellow Bluff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellow Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Bluff
- Yellow Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Lower Peach Tree
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Peach Tree
- Lower Peach Tree is located in Wilcox County
- Gastonburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Millers Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
- Millers Ferry is located in Wilcox County
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Bluff
- Prairie Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Prairie Bluff has also been known as:
- Dale
- Daletown
- Coy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sweet Water, see our County-by-County Page for Sweet Water.
Newspapers Published in Sweet Water ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sweet Water.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sweet Water, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sweet Water.
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 websites either 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 Sweet Water:
- 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 Marengo 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
- Clarke County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Hale County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Perry County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sumter 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 Marengo County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Marengo County
Cemeteries Near Sweet Water ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweet Water.
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 Sweet Water covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Old Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Union Cemetery
- Aimwell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aimwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aimwell Cemetery
- Paynes Chapel Methodist Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paynes Chapel Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paynes Chapel Methodist Cemetery
- Hoboken Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoboken Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoboken Cemetery
- Pearson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pearson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pearson Cemetery
- Union Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Grove Cemetery
- Berry Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Berry Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Berry Chapel Cemetery
- St. Paul Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
- Antioch Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
- Old Liberty Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Liberty Cemetery
- Pruitt Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pruitt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pruitt Cemetery
- Dixon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dixon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dixon Cemetery
- Continue List (247 more) ...
- Dunning Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dunning Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dunning Cemetery
- Robinson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robinson Cemetery
- Beaver Creek Baptist Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Baptist Cemetery
- Dunning 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sweet Water had a population of 140 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Sweet Water had a population of 243 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sweet Water, with the one closest to Sweet Water listed first.
- Aimwell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Moss ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast) - Dixon's Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- 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
- Nicholsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- 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
- Nanafalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Bashi
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Clayhill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast) - Shiloh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east) - Rembert
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Putnam
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Morvin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Glover
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Continue List (14 more) ...
- Ellison ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Octagon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Myrtlewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- 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
- Ellison ‑ Historic
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sweet Water. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sweet Water.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sweet Water. 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sweet Water) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sweet Water. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.0938, Longitude: -87.8703 |
| <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 Sweet Water, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |