Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about River Ridge. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added River Ridge to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with River Ridge, please Contact Us.
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 River Ridge (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 River Ridge. 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 River Ridge ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for River Ridge: River Rdg. (or less commonly used: River Rdge. or River Ridg.)
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 northwest 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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of River Ridge is historic, it would have been located within present day Monroe 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 Monroe County: Baldwin, Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near River Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to River Ridge:
- Monroe County (The home county of River Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Lovan ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Natchez
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Beatrice
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beatrice have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beatrice
- Beatrice is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 271 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beatrice <4>
- Buena Vista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Buena Vista is located in Monroe County
- Tunnel Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel Springs
- Tunnel Springs is located in Monroe County
- Former name for Tunnel Springs:
- Kempsville
- Vredenburgh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vredenburgh have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vredenburgh
- Vredenburgh is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Pineville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east) - Hybart
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hybart
- Hybart is located in Monroe County
- Scratch Ankle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scratch Ankle
- Scratch Ankle is located in Monroe County
- Peterman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterman
- Peterman is located in Monroe County
- Pine Orchard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Pine Orchard is located in Monroe County
- Finchburg ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Starlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Starlington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starlington
- Starlington is located in Butler County
- Forest Home
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Home have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Home
- Forest Home is located in Butler County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Home <4>
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Nettleboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nettleboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleboro
- Nettleboro is located in Clarke County
- Dickinson
(23 miles [37 km] to the west) - Suggsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suggsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
- Suggsville is located in Clarke County
- Whatley
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whatley
- Whatley is located in Clarke County
- Fulton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west) - Barlow Bend
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barlow Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow Bend
- Barlow Bend is located in Clarke County
- Grove Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <4>
- Atkeison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkeison
- Atkeison is located in Clarke County
- Thomasville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- 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 <4>
- Gainestown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gainestown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
- Gainestown is located in Clarke County
- Walker Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker Springs
- Walker Springs is located in Clarke County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walker Springs <4>
- Conecuh County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Ramah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramah
- Ramah is located in Conecuh County
- Bermuda
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda
- Bermuda is located in Conecuh County
- Commerce
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east) - Mixonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixonville
- Mixonville is located in Conecuh County
- Repton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Repton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Repton
- Repton is located in Conecuh County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Repton <4>
- Belleville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
- Belleville is located in Conecuh County
- Lenox
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Lenox is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenox <4>
- Range
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Range
- Range is located in Conecuh County
- Evergreen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Evergreen is located in Conecuh County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,467 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evergreen <4>
- Sparta ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dallas County
- Carlowville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlowville
- Carlowville is located in Dallas County
- Carlowville
- Marengo County
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Asahel
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asahel
- Asahel is located in Wilcox County
- Nellie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - McWilliams
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McWilliams have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- McWilliams is located in Wilcox County
- Coy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Lower Peach Tree
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Peach Tree
- Lower Peach Tree is located in Wilcox County
- Caledonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast) - Schuster
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast) - Camden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Camden is located in Wilcox County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,694 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Camden <4>
- Oak Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast) - Yellow Bluff
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellow Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
- Pine Apple
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Apple
- Pine Apple is located in Wilcox County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Awin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east) - Pine Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to River Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for River Ridge.
Newspapers Published in River Ridge ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around River Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of River Ridge, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for River Ridge.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 River Ridge:
- 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 Monroe County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Butler 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
- Conecuh County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dallas County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Marengo 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
- Butler County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Alabama
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Alabama
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
Cemeteries Near River Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of River Ridge.
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 River Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- New Liberty Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Liberty Cemetery
- Shiloh Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
- Red Hills Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Hills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Hills Cemetery
- Davidson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davidson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davidson Cemetery
- Old Scotland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Scotland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Scotland Cemetery
- New Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
- York Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the York Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the York Cemetery
- St. Peter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter Cemetery
- Springhill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springhill Cemetery
- Basidonia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Basidonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Basidonia Cemetery
- Bryant - Deer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bryant - Deer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bryant - Deer Cemetery
- Amity Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amity Cemetery
- Continue List (228 more) ...
- Philadelphia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Philadelphia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Philadelphia Cemetery
- Buena Vista Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buena Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buena Vista Cemetery
- Apple Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Apple Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Apple Grove Cemetery
- Philadelphia 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.
River Ridge itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 61 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from River Ridge, with the one closest to River Ridge listed first.
- Natchez
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Lovan ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east) - Buena Vista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Buena Vista is located in Monroe County
- Axle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Pineville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east) - Chestnut
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Tinela
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Turnbull
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east) - Turkestan ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Riley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Finchburg ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest) - Monroeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroeville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroeville
- Monroeville is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,623 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monroeville <4>
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Nellie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Fatama
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Burnt Corn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Corn
- Burnt Corn is located in Monroe County
- Nellie
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around River Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around River Ridge.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 River Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- River Ridge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in River Ridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.7138, Longitude: -87.3130 In this case, the coordinates for River Ridge have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |