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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 Birmingham (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 Birmingham. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Birmingham is primarily located in Jefferson County and is the County Seat. A portion of Birmingham extends into Shelby 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 Jefferson County: Bibb, Blount, Saint Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa & Walker.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Birmingham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Avondale
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
      • Avondale is located in Jefferson County
    • East Birmingham
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Vulcan City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vulcan City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan City
      • Vulcan City is located in Jefferson County
    • Hooper City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hooper City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooper City
      • Hooper City is located in Jefferson County
    • English Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Village
      • English Village is located in Jefferson County
    • Bartonville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mountain Brook Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Brook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Brook Village
      • Mountain Brook Village is located in Jefferson County
    • Pratt City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pratt City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt City
      • Pratt City is located in Jefferson County
    • Gate City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gate City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate City
      • Gate City is located in Jefferson County
    • Marks Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marks Village
      • Marks Village is located in Jefferson County
    • Homewood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
      • Homewood is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homewood <3>
    • Mason City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
      • Mason City is located in Jefferson County
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Green Pond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Eddings
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eddings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
      • Eddings is located in Bibb County
    • Blocton Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cane Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
      • Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
    • Woodstock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
      • Woodstock is located in Bibb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodstock <3>
    • North Bibb
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bibb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bibb
      • North Bibb is located in Bibb County
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Dale ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
      • Dale is located in Blount County
    • Warrior
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrior have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrior
      • Warrior is located in Blount County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,190 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warrior <3>
    • County Line
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Red Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
      • Red Hill is located in Blount County
    • Selfville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selfville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selfville
      • Selfville is located in Blount County
    • Compton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Compton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
      • Compton is located in Blount County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Compton
      • From Birmingham to Compton
    • Dallas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Blount County
    • Remlap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Reid's
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reid's. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid's
      • Reid's is located in Blount County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Reid's
      • From Birmingham to Reid's
    • Hayden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Smoke Rise
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smoke Rise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
      • Smoke Rise is located in Blount County
    • Adville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Cullman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Arkadelphia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Baltimore ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baltimore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
      • Baltimore is located in Cullman County
    • Black Bottom
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • The Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
      • The Colony is located in Cullman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Woodland Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
      • Woodland Village is located in Saint Clair County
    • Acmar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Moody
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Parsons
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parsons. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsons
      • Parsons is located in Saint Clair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Parsons
      • From Birmingham to Parsons
    • Brompton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Argo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
      • Argo is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
    • Margaret
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Margaret have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margaret
      • Margaret is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,287 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Margaret <3>
    • Turnbough Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnbough Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
      • Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
    • Cook's Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cook's Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
      • Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
    • Vincent
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Vincent is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vincent <3>
    • Odenville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Springville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Inverness
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inverness have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inverness
      • Inverness is located in Shelby County
    • Lake Purdy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Purdy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Purdy
      • Lake Purdy is located in Shelby County
    • Bridgeton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgeton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
      • Bridgeton is located in Shelby County
    • Meadowbrook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
      • Meadowbrook is located in Shelby County
    • Indian Springs Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Springs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
      • Indian Springs Village is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,628 people
    • Shoal Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunavant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Dunnavant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Pelham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,231 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelham <3>
    • Tacoa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tacoa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoa
      • Tacoa is located in Shelby County
    • Falliston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falliston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
      • Falliston is located in Shelby County
    • Chelsea
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • East Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
      • East Bend is located in Talladega County
    • Logan Martin Dam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Childersburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tuscaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Tannehill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tannehill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
      • Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Lake View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
      • Lake View is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Abernant
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abernant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernant
      • Abernant is located in Tuscaloosa County
    • Bull City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bull City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
      • Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birmingham, with the one closest to Birmingham listed first.
    • Quinton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Twilley Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twilley Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilley Town
      • Twilley Town is located in Walker County
    • Wyatt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyatt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
      • Wyatt is located in Walker County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyatt
      • From Birmingham to Wyatt
    • Yerkwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Burnwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnwell
      • Burnwell is located in Walker County
    • Oakahalla
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Reeds Ferry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sumiton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Creel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
      • Creel is located in Walker County
    • Empire
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Star
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Star have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Star
      • Red Star is located in Walker County

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

Cemeteries Near Birmingham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Birmingham.

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

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

  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Enon Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Knesses Israel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knesses Israel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knesses Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Emanuel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emanuel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Inglenook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Inglenook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Inglenook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Shadowlawn Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • New Grace Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • McElwain Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McElwain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McElwain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (336 more) ...
    • Roberts Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fraternal Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fraternal Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fraternal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oakland Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Birmingham had a population of 26,178 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Birmingham had a population of 206,950 people.

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

  • Avondale
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avondale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Avondale is located in Jefferson County
  • North Birmingham
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Birmingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Birmingham
    • North Birmingham is located in Jefferson County
  • East Birmingham
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Vanderbilt
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vanderbilt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderbilt
    • Vanderbilt is located in Jefferson County
  • Lewisburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisburg
    • Lewisburg is located in Jefferson County
  • Woodlawn
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodlawn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
    • Woodlawn is located in Jefferson County
  • Bartonville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Thomas
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
    • Thomas is located in Jefferson County
  • Ensley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ensley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ensley
    • Ensley is located in Jefferson County
  • Spaulding
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spaulding have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Spaulding is located in Jefferson County
  • Gate City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gate City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate City
    • Gate City is located in Jefferson County
  • Powderly
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powderly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderly
    • Powderly is located in Jefferson County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ishkooda
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ishkooda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ishkooda
      • Ishkooda is located in Jefferson County
    • Ruffner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruffner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruffner
      • Ruffner is located in Jefferson County
    • East Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
      • East Lake is located in Jefferson County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Birmingham ...

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 203 newspapers that have been published in the area around Birmingham.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Birmingham. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Birmingham and those printed in the larger area surrounding Birmingham.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 5 miles [8 km]<6> of Birmingham.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Birmingham:

The official website for Birmingham: www.informationbirmingham.com/

The official website for Jefferson County: www.jeffcointouch.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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Birmingham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Birmingham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Birmingham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.5278, Longitude: -86.8043    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025