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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 Powells Crossroads (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 Powells Crossroads. 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 Powells Crossroads ...

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 Powells Crossroads: Powells Xrds.
  • While the name of this town is Powells Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Powells Crossroads may originally have been Powell's Crossroads.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Powells Crossroads might be written as Powell Crossroads.

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

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 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.

Powells Crossroads is located in Marion County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marion County: Jackson (AL), Dade (GA), Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton & Sequatchie.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Powells Crossroads)
  • Bledsoe County
  • Bradley County
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powells Crossroads, with the one closest to Powells Crossroads listed first.
    • Ruthledge Ford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Ruthledge Ford is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthledge Ford
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,116 people
    • Stephenson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Franklin County
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powells Crossroads, with the one closest to Powells Crossroads listed first.
    • Palmer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • White City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • White City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Lankford Town
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Lankford Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Town
    • Gruetli - Laager
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gruetli
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gruetli is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gruetli
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,775 people
    • Tracy City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Coalmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Coalmont is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
    • Sartain Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Sartain Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartain Springs
      • Estimated population in 2014: 380 people
    • Monteagle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Beersheba Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Beersheba Springs is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beersheba Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
    • Altamont
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pelham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powells Crossroads, with the one closest to Powells Crossroads listed first.
    • Fairmount
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Signal Terrace
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Signal Terrace is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Signal Terrace
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,519 people
    • Signal Mountain
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Summertown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Summertown is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summertown
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 866 people
    • Walden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Walden is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,183 people
    • Fountain Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fountain Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Village
    • Signal Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Midvale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Midvale is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
    • Red Bank
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Valley Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Valley Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Village
    • Falling Water
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Falling Water is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Water
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,232 people
    • Colonial Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Colonial Village is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Rhea County
  • Sequatchie County
  • Van Buren County
    • Chalybeate
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Chalybeate is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate
  • DeKalb County (AL)
  • Jackson County (AL)
  • Catoosa County (GA)
  • Dade County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powells Crossroads, with the one closest to Powells Crossroads listed first.
    • Wildwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cole City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Cole City is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole City
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 127 people
    • Morganville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Morganville is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,835 people
    • Trenton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Stewart Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Stewart Town is located in Dade County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart Town
    • Rising Fawn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Walker County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Powells Crossroads, with the one closest to Powells Crossroads listed first.
    • Lookout Mountain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Fantasy Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Fantasy Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fantasy Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 316 people
    • Flintstone
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • John Ross Estates
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • John Ross Estates is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for John Ross Estates
      • Estimated population in 2018: 84,310 people
    • Rossville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Chattanooga Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Chattanooga Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga Valley
    • Happy Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Happy Valley is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Valley
      • Estimated population in 2019: 192 people
    • Moons
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Orchard Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Estimated population in 2019: 232 people
    • Dewberry Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dewberry Town is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewberry Town
    • Fairview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Park City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Park City is located in Walker County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City

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

Cemeteries Near Powells Crossroads ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Powells Crossroads.

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 Powells Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Teague Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Barker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Shelton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Red Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Price Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Walker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pryor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Layne Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (640 more) ...
    • Brock & Pickett Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Grayson Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in Powells Crossroads ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Powells Crossroads.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Powells Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Powells Crossroads.

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 Powells Crossroads:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Powells Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<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 Powells Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.