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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 Alta (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 Alta. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Alta is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa & Walker.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Alta)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • Berry
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Bankston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Rossland City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossland City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
      • Rossland City is located in Fayette County
    • Fayette
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Old Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
      • Old Town is located in Fayette County
    • Bazemore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Glen Allen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kirkland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belk
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
      • Belk is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Bluff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
      • Bluff is located in Fayette County
    • Ashcraft Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Gu - Win
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • Black Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Black Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
      • Black Creek is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Black Creek
      • From Alta to Black Creek
    • Toadvine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Short Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • West Jefferson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jefferson
      • West Jefferson is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 415 people
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Jefferson County
    • Media
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Ezra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ezra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ezra
      • Ezra is located in Jefferson County
    • Rock Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
      • Rock Creek is located in Jefferson County
    • Sylvan Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Springs
      • Sylvan Springs is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvan Springs <1>
  • Lamar County
    • Kennedy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kennedy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
      • Kennedy is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • Rock City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
      • Rock City is located in Marion County
    • Winfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brilliant
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brilliant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brilliant
      • Brilliant is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 862 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brilliant <1>
    • Guin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Twin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Yampertown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pickens County
    • Lubbub
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lubbub. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
      • Lubbub is located in Pickens County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lubbub
      • From Alta to Lubbub
  • Tuscaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • New Lexington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Samantha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bull City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bull City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
      • Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Lake Front Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Front Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Front Village
      • Lake Front Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Kellerman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kellerman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerman
      • Kellerman is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kellerman
      • From Alta to Kellerman
    • Echola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echola
      • Echola is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Wood Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Village
      • Wood Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Coker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coker
      • Coker is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coker <1>
    • Holt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Northport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Peterson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peterson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
      • Peterson is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • Corona
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Patton Junction ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Patton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Coal Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coal Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
      • Coal Valley is located in Walker County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coal Valley
      • From Alta to Coal Valley
    • Townley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Townley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
      • Townley is located in Walker County
    • Parrish
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Carbon Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Kansas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • America
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Goodsprings
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodsprings have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodsprings
      • Goodsprings is located in Walker County
    • Saragossa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saragossa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saragossa
      • Saragossa is located in Walker County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saragossa
      • From Alta to Saragossa
  • Winston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta, with the one closest to Alta listed first.
    • Farriss
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farriss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farriss
      • Farriss is located in Winston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farriss
      • From Alta to Farriss
    • Lynn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Falls City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Falls City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
      • Falls City is located in Winston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Falls City
      • From Alta to Falls City
    • Natural Bridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Alta ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alta.

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

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

  • Cedar Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pendley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pendley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pendley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alta Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Madison Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Madison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Madison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boley Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • New Salem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gibson Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gibson Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gibson Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaven Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethabara Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethabara Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethabara Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Frost Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frost Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frost Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pendley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pendley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pendley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (533 more) ...
    • Tabernacle Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabernacle Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Berry City Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Berry City Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Berry City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Panter Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Panter Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Panter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Alta had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Berry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Corona
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Patton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Coal Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coal Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
    • Coal Valley is located in Walker County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Coal Valley
    • From Alta to Coal Valley
  • Bankston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • New Lexington
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Wiley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
    • Wiley is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Townley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Townley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
    • Townley is located in Walker County
  • Stough
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stough
    • Stough is located in Fayette County
  • Parrish
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Carbon Hill
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Kansas
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Newtonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newtonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtonville
      • Newtonville is located in Fayette County
    • Samantha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Saragossa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saragossa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saragossa
      • Saragossa is located in Walker County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saragossa
      • From Alta to Saragossa

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

Newspapers Published in Alta ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alta.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alta, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alta.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Alta:

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

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

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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 Alta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Alta) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6708, Longitude: -87.5315       In this case, the coordinates for Alta have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025