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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 Bells Mill (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 Bells Mill. 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 Bells Mill ...

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 Bells Mill: Bells Ml. (or less commonly used: Bells Mll.)
  • While the name of this community is Bells Mill, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Bells Mill may originally have been Bell's Mill.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Bells Mill might be written as Bell Mill.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bells Mill. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bells Mill.

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 and hospitals 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.

Bells Mill is located in Washington County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washington County: Bay, Holmes, Jackson & Walton.

Below are the counties that are near Bells Mill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bells Mill:

  • Washington County     (The home county of Bells Mill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Wausau
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Brock Crossroad
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Brock Crossroad is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock Crossroad
    • Chipley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Vernon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Five Points
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Five Points is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
    • Caryville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Millers Ferry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
    • Coosada Old Town ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Coosada Old Town is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosada Old Town
    • Ebro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Ebro is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ebro <2>
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Fountain
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Youngstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Vicksburg ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Vicksburg is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vicksburg
      • Former name for Vicksburg:
      • Vickerburg
    • Southport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Lynn Haven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Altha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Clarksville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chipola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Chipola is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
  • Holmes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Bonifay
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Westville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Cerrogordo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
    • Esto
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Esto is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Noma
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Ponce de Leon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Izagora
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Alford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Steele City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Steele City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele City
    • Cottondale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jacob City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jacob City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacob City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Graceville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Marianna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Campbellton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cypress
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Walton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Knox Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Argyle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Union
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Union is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
  • Geneva County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Black
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Black is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
    • Slocomb
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Slocomb is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slocomb <2>
    • Eunola ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Eunola is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunola
  • Houston County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.
    • Madrid
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Madrid is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 293 people
    • Merritts Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Merritts Crossroads is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritts Crossroads

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bells Mill, see our County-by-County Page for Bells Mill.

Cemeteries Near Bells Mill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bells Mill.

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 Bells Mill - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bells Mill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.

  • Wood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Everett Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Lay Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Barfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Scarlett Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Potter Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • White Oak Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Limestone Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Tiller Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Kent Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Rock Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Deadening Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (103 more) ...
    • Greenhead Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Weeks Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Sandy Mtn. Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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 Bells Mill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bells Mill.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Bells Mill, with the one closest to Bells Mill listed first.

  • Chipley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Bonifay
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Cottondale
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Caryville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Millers Ferry
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
  • Westville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Graceville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Cerrogordo
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
  • Redbay
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Redbay is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbay
  • Marianna
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Campbellton
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Ponce de Leon
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Knox Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Izagora
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
    • Warwick ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Warwick is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bells Mill. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bells Mill.

Newspapers Published in Bells Mill ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bells Mill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bells Mill, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bells Mill.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Bells Mill:

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- Bells Mill) 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 Bells Mill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.