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 Bethlehem (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 Bethlehem. 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 hospitals 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.
Bethlehem is located in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County: Autauga, Bullock, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon & Pike.
Below are the counties that are near Bethlehem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethlehem:
- Montgomery County (The home county of Bethlehem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Ada
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ada is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
- Lapine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lapine is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Ramer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pintlala
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Pintlala is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pintlala
- Former name for Pintlala:
- Colquitt
- Red Level
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Red Level is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Grady
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hope Hull
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Center Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Center Point is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
- Pine Level
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Pine Level is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
- English Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- English Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Village
- Catoma
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Catoma is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoma
- Pike Road
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Autauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Prattville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Melmar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Melmar is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmar
- Bullock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Mitchell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Fitzpatrick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fitzpatrick is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzpatrick
- Postoak
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Postoak is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Postoak
- Butler County
- Greenville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Crenshaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Highland Home
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Honoraville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Honoraville is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honoraville
- Petrey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Petrey is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
- Vernledge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Vernledge is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernledge
- Cherokee Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cherokee Village is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
- Rutledge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rutledge is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
- Luverne
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Vidette
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Vidette is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vidette
- Social Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Social Town is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Social Town
- Glenwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Elmore County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Prattville Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Prattville Junction is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prattville Junction
- Fusihatchi ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fusihatchi is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fusihatchi
- Coosada
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Davenport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Davenport is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
- Sandy Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Letohatchee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Letohatchee is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letohatchee
- Fort Deposit
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Hayneville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lowndesboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mosses
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mosses is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosses
- Population from the 2020 Census: 893 people
- Burkville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burkville is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkville
- Gordonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Gordonville is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
- Bragg's
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bragg's is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg's
- White Hall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- White Hall is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
- Collirene
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Collirene is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collirene
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Kent
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kent is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Ansley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ansley is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansley
- Wingard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wingard is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingard
- Orion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Orion is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Meeksville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Meeksville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeksville
- Youngblood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Youngblood is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngblood
- Hallsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hallsville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
- Needmore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Needmore is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Goshen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- McClure Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- McClure Town is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClure Town
- Troy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Linwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Linwood is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethlehem, see our County-by-County Page for Bethlehem.
Cemeteries Near Bethlehem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
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 Bethlehem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethlehem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Magnolia Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Armstrong Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hickory Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fair Prospect Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ganey Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sawyer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Payne Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ball Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Panola Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rocky Mount Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sprague Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (314 more) ...
- New Center Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mosleys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Bethlehem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethlehem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Mount Carmel
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Mount Carmel is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Sellers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sellers is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Strata
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Strata is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strata
- Fleta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fleta is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleta
- Naftel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Naftel is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naftel
- Ada
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ada is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
- Sandy Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Lapine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lapine is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapine
- Highland Home
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ramer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Le Grand
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Le Grand is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Grand
- Grady
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Letohatchee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Letohatchee is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letohatchee
- Meadville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Meadville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadville
- Tharin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Tharin is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tharin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethlehem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethlehem.
Newspapers Published in Bethlehem ...
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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethlehem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethlehem, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethlehem.
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 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 Bethlehem:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Montgomery County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bullock County
- Butler County
- Crenshaw County
- Elmore County
- Lowndes County
- Pike 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> | 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 Bethlehem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bethlehem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |