RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Shelby County >> Camp Branch >> 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 Camp Branch (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 Camp Branch. 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 Camp Branch ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Camp Branch: Cp. Branch

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Camp Branch. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Camp Branch.

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 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.

Camp Branch is located in Shelby 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 Shelby County: Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Jefferson, Saint Clair & Talladega.

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

  • Shelby County     (The home county of Camp Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Saginaw
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Saginaw is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
    • Siluria
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Siluria is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
    • Alabaster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Maylene
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Brantleyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Brantleyville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantleyville
    • Pelham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Calera
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Falliston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Falliston is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
    • Helena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Tacoa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Tacoa is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoa
    • Tulse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Tulse is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
    • Columbiana
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Eddings
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Eddings is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
    • Brierfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ashby is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
    • Seymour
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Seymour is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
    • Oakley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakley is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
    • Belle Ellen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Belle Ellen is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Ellen
    • Nash Town ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Nash Town is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
    • Blocton ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Blocton is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
    • Italian Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Italian Town is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italian Town
    • Bucktown ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Bucktown is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
    • Corinne ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Corinne is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
  • Blount County
    • Dale ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Dale is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
  • Chilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Jemison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jumbo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jumbo is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
    • Thorsby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Clanton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Maplesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Coosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
    • Dollar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Dollar is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
    • Weogufka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Weogufka is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weogufka
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Hoover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Hoover is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85,959 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoover <1>
    • Greenwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Shannon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Shannon is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
    • Oxmoor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Oxmoor is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxmoor
    • Vestavia Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Mobile Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mobile Junction is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile Junction
    • New Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • New Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
    • Cahaba Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Homewood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bessemer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lipscomb
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lipscomb is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipscomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,110 people
    • McCalla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Vincent
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Vincent is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vincent <1>
    • Woodland Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodland Village is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Brompton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Brompton is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brompton
    • Moody
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Moody is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,292 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moody <1>
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Talladega Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Fayetteville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
    • Childersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Bon Air
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Bon Air is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Comerdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Comerdale is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comerdale
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Oak Grove is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 513 people
    • Zubers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Zubers is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
    • Gantts Quarry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
    • East Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • East Bend is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
    • Mignon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Mignon is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mignon
    • Logan Martin Dam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Logan Martin Dam is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Martin Dam
    • Sylacauga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Tuscaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Camp Branch, with the one closest to Camp Branch listed first.
    • Tannehill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
    • Lake View
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Lake View is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Abernant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Abernant is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernant
    • Vance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Vance is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Camp Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Camp Branch.

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 Camp Branch - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Garrett Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Nelson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ozley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Black Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Longview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Nabors Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Old Lynch Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Nearest Grave Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Roach Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Harles Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Dargin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Jones Bailey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (418 more) ...
    • Benten Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Still Memorial Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Moores Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)

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 Camp Branch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Camp Branch.

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

  • Longview
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Longview is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
  • Siluria
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Siluria is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
  • Maylene
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Shelby Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Shelby Springs is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Springs
  • Dogwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dogwood is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
  • Calera
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Pelham
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Tacoa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Tacoa is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoa
  • Falliston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Falliston is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
  • Helena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Tulse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Tulse is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
  • Montevallo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • South Calera
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • South Calera is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Calera
    • Columbiana
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Bamford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bamford is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford

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

Newspapers Published in Camp Branch ...

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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Camp Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Camp Branch, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Camp Branch.

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 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 Camp Branch:

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 Camp Branch, 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' (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- Camp Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.