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 Watoola (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 Watoola. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Watoola is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Chambers, Macon, Russell, Tallapoosa, Harris (GA) & Muscogee (GA).
Below are the counties that are near Watoola. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watoola:
- Lee County (The home county of Watoola)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Marvyn
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Marvyn is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvyn
- Beauregard
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Beauregard is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Prince Crossroads
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Prince Crossroads is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prince Crossroads
- Chewacla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Chewacla is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewacla
- Salem
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gwen Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Gwen Mill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwen Mill
- Opelika
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bleecker
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bleecker is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bleecker
- Ridgewood Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgewood Village is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- Smith's Station
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Smith's Station is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith's Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,804 people
- The Bottle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- The Bottle is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Bottle
- Loachapoka
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Spring Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Spring Hill is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Comer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Comer is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
- Hawkinsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hawkinsville is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkinsville
- Bullock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Midway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Midway is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 457 people
- Three Notch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Three Notch is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Notch
- Union Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chambers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Cusseta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Waverly
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Osanippa
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Osanippa is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osanippa
- Boyds
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Boyds is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyds
- River View
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- River View is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
- Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Huguley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Huguley is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguley
- Eady City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Eady City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eady City
- Plant City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Plant City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plant City
- Blackman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Blackman is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackman
- Lanett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- LaFayette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Society Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Society Hill is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Society Hill
- Notasulga
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Tuskegee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Armstrong
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Armstrong is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Liberty City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Liberty City is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
- Fort Davis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hornady
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hornady is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornady
- La Place
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- La Place is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Place
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Hugley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hugley is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugley
- Crawford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Hatchechubbee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Hatchechubbee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchechubbee
- Ladonia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ladonia is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladonia
- Hurtsboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hurtsboro is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
- Seale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Phenix City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Rutherford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rutherford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Fontaine Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Fontaine Village is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontaine Village
- Fort Mitchell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pittsview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oswichee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oswichee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswichee
- Glenville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Glenville is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
- Tallapoosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Church Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Church Hill is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Reeltown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Reeltown is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeltown
- Camp Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tallapoosa City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tallapoosa City is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallapoosa City
- Agricola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Agricola is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agricola
- Chattahoochee County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Fort Benning
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Ochillee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Ochillee is located in Chattahoochee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochillee
- Estimated population in 2019: 680 people
- Harris County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Mountain Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Hill is located in Harris County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 11,554 people
- Pine Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Lake is located in Harris County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
- Muscogee County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Bibb City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bibb City is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bibb City
- City Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- City Village is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City Village
- Columbus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Maridale Estates
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Maridale Estates is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maridale Estates
- Estimated population in 2019: 60,867 people
- Glenns
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Glenns is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
- Estimated population in 2019: 5,020 people
- Hilton Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hilton Heights is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Heights
- Estimated population in 2018: 324 people
- Twin Chapel
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Twin Chapel is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Chapel
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,701 people
- Wynnton
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Wynnton is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynnton
- Baker Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Baker Village is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Village
- Cusseta Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cusseta Heights is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusseta Heights
- Estimated population in 2018: 10,684 people
- Lincoln Hills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lincoln Hills is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Hills
- Population from the 2010 Census: 833 people
- Saint Marys Hills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Saint Marys Hills is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys Hills
- Estimated population in 2019: 18,567 people
- East Edgewood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- East Edgewood is located in Muscogee County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Edgewood
- Estimated population in 2019: 569 people
- Stewart County (GA)
- Omaha
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Troup County (GA)
- West Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Watoola, see our County-by-County Page for Watoola.
Cemeteries Near Watoola ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watoola.
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 Watoola - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Watoola covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Watoola Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rising Star Baptist Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Dupree Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jenkins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Pierce Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wright Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Union Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Whatley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Holt Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Society Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (291 more) ...
- Canaan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brown Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find Watoola in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Watoola.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Watoola, with the one closest to Watoola listed first.
- Society Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Society Hill is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Society Hill
- Uchee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Uchee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uchee
- Hyram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hyram is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyram
- Crawford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Chewacla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Chewacla is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewacla
- Salem
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alliance
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Alliance is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alliance
- Creek Stand
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Creek Stand is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek Stand
- Opelika
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hatchechubbee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Hatchechubbee is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchechubbee
- Warriorstand
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Warriorstand is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warriorstand
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hurtsboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hurtsboro is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
- Seale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ladonia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ladonia is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladonia
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Watoola. See our List of 1890's Communities around Watoola.
Newspapers Published in Watoola ...
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 110 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watoola.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watoola, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watoola.
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 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 Watoola:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Lee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Bullock County
- Chambers County
- Macon County
- Russell County
- Tallapoosa County
- Chattahoochee County
- Harris County
- Muscogee County
- Stewart County
- Troup County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Watoola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (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- Watoola) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |