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 Williams (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 Williams. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Williams is located in Houston 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 Houston County: Dale, Geneva, Henry, Jackson (FL), Early (GA) & Seminole (GA).
Below are the counties that are near Williams. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williams:
- Houston County (The home county of Williams)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Columbia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Barber
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Barber is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Webb
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ashford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cowarts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kinsey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Kinsey is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinsey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,293 people
- Gordon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gordon is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Avon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Avon is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
- Dothan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parish
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tidwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Tidwell is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidwell
- Keyton's
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Keyton's is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyton's
- Cottonwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Grimes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Grimes is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 556 people
- Napier Field
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Napier Field is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier Field
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Midland City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bertha
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bertha is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
- Pinckard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Mabson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mabson is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabson
- Ewell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Ewell is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
- Newton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Newton is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,451 people
- Clopton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Clopton is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clopton
- Skipperville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Skipperville is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipperville
- Ozark
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Geneva County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Malvern
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Slocomb
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Haleburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Haleburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haleburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Headland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Newville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Newville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
- Oakey Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Oakey Grove is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakey Grove
- Capps
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Capps is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps
- Abbeville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shorterville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shorterville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorterville
- Graball
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Graball is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graball
- Former names for Graball:
- Hart's Crossroads
- Hudspeth's Crossroads
- Screamer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Screamer is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamer
- Jackson County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Malone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bascom
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Campbellton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Calhoun County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Arlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Edison
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clay County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Fort Gaines
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Oketeyeconne ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Oketeyeconne is located in Clay County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oketeyeconne
- Bluffton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bellville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bellville is located in Clay County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellville
- Estimated population in 2019: 118 people
- Early County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Rock Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Rock Hill is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 248 people
- Sawhatchee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sawhatchee is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawhatchee
- Cedar Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blakely
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Centerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Springfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Estimated population in 2019: 4,084 people
- Jakin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hentown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Hentown is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hentown
- Estimated population in 2019: 3,944 people
- Bancroft
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Bancroft is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Damascus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Douglass Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Douglass Crossroads is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass Crossroads
- Estimated population in 2019: 33,992 people
- Douglasville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Douglasville is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglasville
- Estimated population in 2019: 11,695 people
- Miller County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Mayhaw
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mayhaw is located in Miller County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
- Floydtown ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Floydtown is located in Miller County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floydtown
- Colquitt
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Randolph County (GA)
- Coleman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Seminole County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Donalsonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Steam Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Steam Mill is located in Seminole County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steam Mill
- Iron City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williams, see our County-by-County Page for Williams.
Cemeteries Near Williams ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams.
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 Williams - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williams covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Shiloh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Cedar Springs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hunters Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hebron Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Old Pleasant Plains Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Culpepper Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- St. Stephens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Grier Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Camp Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sardis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Balkum Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (224 more) ...
- Poplar Spring Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Granberry Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pilgrims Rest 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.<2>
While we didn't find Williams in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Williams.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williams, with the one closest to Williams listed first.
- Barber
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Barber is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Balkum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Balkum is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balkum
- Ashford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Headland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hardwickburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hardwickburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwickburg
- Blakely
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Tidwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Tidwell is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidwell
- Keyton's
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Keyton's is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyton's
- Abbeville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Jakin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Shorterville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shorterville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorterville
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Mayhaw
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mayhaw is located in Miller County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
- Midland City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Fort Gaines
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williams. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williams.
Newspapers Published in Williams ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williams, 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 Williams.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Williams:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Houston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dale County
- Geneva County
- Henry County
- Jackson County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Early County
- Miller County
- Randolph County
- Seminole 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> | 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 Williams, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Williams) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |