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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 Topton (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 Topton. 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 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.

Topton is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Greene (MS) & Wayne (MS).

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Topton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • Seaboard
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seaboard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaboard
      • Seaboard is located in Washington County
    • Hawthorn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawthorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
      • Hawthorn is located in Washington County
    • Sims Chapel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
      • Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
    • McIntosh
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
      • McIntosh is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McIntosh <2>
    • Tibbie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbie
      • Tibbie is located in Washington County
    • Fairford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
      • Fairford is located in Washington County
    • Sunflower
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
      • Sunflower is located in Washington County
    • Malcolm
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcolm
      • Malcolm is located in Washington County
    • Deer Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
      • Deer Park is located in Washington County
    • Vinegar Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinegar Bend
      • Vinegar Bend is located in Washington County
    • Wagarville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Chatom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatom
      • Chatom is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatom <2>
  • Baldwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • Tensaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tensaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
      • Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
    • Latham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
      • Latham is located in Baldwin County
    • Blacksher
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
      • Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
    • Little River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Stockton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Choctaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • Bladon Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bladon Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
      • Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
    • Cullomburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
      • Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • Carlton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Rockville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
      • Rockville is located in Clarke County
    • Jackson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jackson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Jackson is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,582 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <2>
    • Stave Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
      • Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
    • Salitpa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
      • Salitpa is located in Clarke County
    • Alma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Clarke County
    • Walker Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Toddtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
      • Toddtown is located in Clarke County
    • Winn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
      • Winn is located in Clarke County
    • Gainestown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gainestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
      • Gainestown is located in Clarke County
  • Mobile County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • Calvert
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Citronelle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Vernon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Movico
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Movico
      • Movico is located in Mobile County
    • Chastang
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
      • Chastang is located in Mobile County
    • Bucks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Gulfcrest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulfcrest
      • Gulfcrest is located in Mobile County
    • Barry Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry Village
      • Barry Village is located in Mobile County
    • Axis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axis
      • Axis is located in Mobile County
    • Chunchula
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chunchula
      • Chunchula is located in Mobile County
    • Creola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
      • Creola is located in Mobile County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,032 people
    • Satsuma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Satsuma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satsuma
      • Satsuma is located in Mobile County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Satsuma <2>
  • Monroe County
    • Mount Pleasant
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
  • Greene County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
    • State Line
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Line have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
      • State Line is located in Greene County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
    • Brown Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
      • Brown Town is located in Greene County (MS)
    • Clark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
      • Clark is located in Greene County (MS)
    • Leakesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leakesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leakesville
      • Leakesville is located in Greene County (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 868 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leakesville <2>
    • Carson City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
      • Carson City is located in Greene County (MS)

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

Newspapers Published in Topton ...

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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around Topton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Topton, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Topton.

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 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 Topton:

Cemeteries Near Topton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Topton.

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 Topton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Sims Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sims Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sims Chapel Cemetery
  • Hill Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hill Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hill Springs Cemetery
  • Magnolia Holiness Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Rivers Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rivers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rivers Cemetery
  • Reeds Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reeds Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reeds Chapel Cemetery
  • Washington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Cemetery
  • Chalker Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chalker Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chalker Memorial Cemetery
  • Red Wash Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Wash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Wash Cemetery
  • Howard Town Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Town Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Town Cemetery
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
  • Mt. Moriah Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Moriah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Moriah Cemetery
  • Continue List   (215 more) ...
    • McIntosh Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McIntosh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McIntosh Cemetery
    • Old Methodist Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Methodist Cemetery
    • Vaughn Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vaughn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vaughn 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.<5>

While we didn't find Topton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Topton.

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

  • Sims Chapel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
    • Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
  • McIntosh
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntosh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • McIntosh is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McIntosh <2>
  • Fairford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
    • Fairford is located in Washington County
  • Deer Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
    • Deer Park is located in Washington County
  • Sunflower
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
    • Sunflower is located in Washington County
  • Vinegar Bend
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinegar Bend
    • Vinegar Bend is located in Washington County
  • Calvert
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Citronelle
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Wagar
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wagar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagar
    • Wagar is located in Washington County
  • Escatawpa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Escatawpa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escatawpa
    • Escatawpa is located in Washington County
  • Mount Vernon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Carson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Carson is located in Washington County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Chastang
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
      • Chastang is located in Mobile County
    • Saint Stephen's
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Yellow Pine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
      • Yellow Pine is located in Washington County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Topton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Washington County: www.washingtoncountyalgov.com

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Topton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Topton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.2863, Longitude: -88.1500       In this case, the coordinates for Topton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Topton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024