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 Bear Creek (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 Bear Creek. 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 Bear Creek ...
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 Bear Creek: Bear Crk. (or less commonly used: Bear Ck. or Bear Cr.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bear Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bear Creek.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Bear Creek is located in Colbert 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 Colbert County: Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence & Tishomingo (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Bear Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bear Creek:
- Colbert County (The home county of Bear Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- White House Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- White House Springs is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White House Springs
- Tuscumbia
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Littleville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Littleville is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
- Spring Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Spring Valley is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Furnace Hill ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Furnace Hill is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace Hill
- Sheffield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Muscle Shoals
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Florence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Florence is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Florence
- Gatesville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gatesville is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatesville
- Red Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Red Rock is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Campbell Settlement ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Campbell Settlement is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell Settlement
- Leighton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wilson Dam
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilson Dam is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson Dam
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Russellville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rockwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Rockwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
- Belgreen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Belgreen is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgreen
- Slickrock Ford ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Slickrock Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slickrock Ford
- Churntown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Churntown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churntown
- Spruce Pine
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Spruce Pine is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce Pine
- Pleasant Site
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Site is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Site
- Phil Campbell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Burntout
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Burntout is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burntout
- Burntout has also been known as:
- Burn Out
- Burnout
- Burnt Out
- Hodges
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Vina
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Vina is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
- Red Bay
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lauderdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Canaan ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Canaan is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Cypress Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cypress Creek is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Creek
- Florence
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Green Tree ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Green Tree is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
- McGee Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- McGee Town is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGee Town
- Bainbridge ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bainbridge is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge
- Mars Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mars Hill is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars Hill
- Jacksonburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jacksonburg is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonburg
- Saint Florian
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Florian is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Florian
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Bailey Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bailey Springs is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Springs
- Killen
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cloverdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Cloverdale is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Beach Grove ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Beach Grove is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Grove
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Mehama ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mehama is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehama
- Edmond
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Edmond is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmond
- Avoca ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Avoca is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Town Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Concord
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Hatton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Hatton is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
- Mount Hope
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hope is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Red Bank
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Red Bank is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Wheeler Dam Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wheeler Dam Village is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler Dam Village
- Camp Spring ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Camp Spring is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Spring
- Courtland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- North Courtland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- North Courtland is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Courtland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
- Muck City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Muck City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muck City
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Bear Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hackleburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hackleburg is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackleburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,249 people
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Pebble
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pebble is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pebble
- Prebble ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Prebble is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prebble
- Littleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Littleville is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleville
- Haleyville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Tishomingo County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Oldham
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Oldham is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
- Golden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Belmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dennis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dennis is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
- Iuka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Iuka is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,928 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iuka <1>
- Midway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Midway is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Tishomingo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Paden
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Paden is located in Tishomingo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
- Lawrence County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Iron City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Iron City is located in Lawrence County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
- Rascal Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rascal Town is located in Lawrence County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rascal Town
- Saint Joseph
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wayne County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Cypress Inn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cypress Inn is located in Wayne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Inn
- Whittens Stand ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Whittens Stand is located in Wayne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittens Stand
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bear Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Bear Creek.
Cemeteries Near Bear Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bear Creek.
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 Bear Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bear Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Huff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Richardson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mitchell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Underwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Gadd Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- County Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Henson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Byrd Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Community Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Donley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Holland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- New Bethel Memorial Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (670 more) ...
- Henson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Isbell Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sherrod Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 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 Bear Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bear Creek.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bear Creek, with the one closest to Bear Creek listed first.
- Littleville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Littleville is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
- Tuscumbia
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hunter ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hunter is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- Spring Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Spring Valley is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Sheffield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Frankfort
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Frankfort is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort
- South Florence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Florence is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Florence
- Mountain Mills ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mountain Mills is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Mills
- Russellville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Florence
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Barton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barton is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
- Rock Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Rock Creek is located in Colbert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Leighton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Waco
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Waco is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Smithsonia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Smithsonia is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithsonia
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bear Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bear Creek.
Newspapers Published in Bear Creek ...
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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bear Creek.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bear Creek, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bear Creek.
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 Bear Creek:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Colbert County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Lauderdale County
- Lawrence County
- Marion County
- Winston County
- Tishomingo County
- Lawrence County
- Wayne County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bear Creek) 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 Bear Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |