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Home >> State of Alabama >> Saint Clair County >> Avondale Village >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Avondale Village (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 Avondale Village. 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 Avondale Village ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Avondale Village: Avondale Vlg. (in Canada, 'Vlge.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Saint Clair County: Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby & Talladega.

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

  • Saint Clair County     (The home county of Avondale Village)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Pell City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Glen City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
    • Seddon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
    • Cropwell
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Riverside
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Coal City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
    • Easonville ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Easonville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonville
    • Wattsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
    • Fountainrun ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Fountainrun is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainrun
    • Cook's Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
    • Odenville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Branchville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
    • Brompton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Brompton is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brompton
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Straight Mountain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
    • Appalachian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Appalachian is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
    • Dale ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Dale is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Highland Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Highland Lake is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
    • Remlap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Allgood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Allgood is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Compton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Compton is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
    • Oneonta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Taits Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Taits Gap is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
    • Selfville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Selfville is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selfville
    • Hoods Crossroads
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
    • Dallas
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dallas is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Deavers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Deavers is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Bruner ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bruner is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
    • Eastaboga
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Macon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Macon is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
    • Blue Eye ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Blue Eye is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Eye
    • Boozer ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Boozer is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boozer
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
    • Bynum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Bynum is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
      • Bynum has also been known as:
      • Bynum's
    • Ohatchee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Beasley ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Beasley is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
    • Morrisville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Morrisville is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisville
    • Bera ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Bera is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bera
    • Eulaton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Eulaton is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulaton
    • Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Chambers Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Chambers Springs is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers Springs
    • Erin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Erin is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin
    • Elder
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Elder is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
  • Etowah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
    • Markton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Markton is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
    • Clear Springs ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
    • Pilgrims Rest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Pilgrims Rest is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
    • Nix ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Nix is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
    • Gallant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Gallant is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
    • Rainbow City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Attalla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Altoona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Cobb City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cobb City is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Leeds
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Leeds is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,026 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leeds <1>
    • Breakstone Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Breakstone Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakstone Village
    • East Trussville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • East Trussville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trussville
    • Roper
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Roper is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
    • Scott City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Scott City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott City
    • Cahaba Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Cahaba Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Village
    • Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Lola City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Lola City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola City
    • Ayres
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ayres is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
    • McCombs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • McCombs is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCombs
    • Trussville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Alton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Clay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Clay is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
      • Estimated population in 2015: 9,655 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay <1>
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Calcis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Calcis is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcis
    • Sterrett
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Vandiver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunnavant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Dunnavant is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnavant
    • Dunavant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunavant is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
    • Harpersville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Westover
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Westover is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,769 people
    • Shoal Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Shoal Creek is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Creek
    • Bridgeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bridgeton is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Lake Purdy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Purdy is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Purdy
    • Chelsea
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Meadowbrook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadowbrook is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
    • Wilsonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avondale Village, with the one closest to Avondale Village listed first.
    • Colony
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Colony is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
    • Windsong Island
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
    • Lincoln
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Logan Martin Dam
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Logan Martin Dam is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Martin Dam
    • East Bend
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • East Bend is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
    • Talladega
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nottingham ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Nottingham is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
      • Former name for Nottingham:
      • Jones Camp Ground
    • Alpine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Grant Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Grant Town is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
    • McElderry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • McElderry is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElderry
    • Munford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Winterboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Winterboro is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterboro
    • Waldo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Waldo is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people

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

Cemeteries Near Avondale Village ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avondale Village.

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 Avondale Village - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Valley Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Seddon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Boykin Truitt Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Coosa Valley Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Robert Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bowman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Clair Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Walkers Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Florence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (287 more) ...
    • Mays Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • McCellan Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Karr Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)

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>

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

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

  • Pell City
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Eden
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Eden is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
  • Cropwell
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Seddon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
  • Riverside
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Coal City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
  • Easonville ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Easonville is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonville
  • Stemley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Stemley is located in Talladega County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stemley
  • Eureka
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Eureka is located in Talladega County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
  • Cook's Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
  • Wolf Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wolf Creek is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
  • Lincoln
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Refuge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Refuge is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
    • Odenville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Branchville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville

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

Newspapers Published in Avondale Village ...

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 Avondale Village.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Avondale Village, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Avondale Village.

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 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 Avondale Village:

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>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- Avondale Village) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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>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 Avondale Village, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.