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 Chapel Hill (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 Chapel Hill. 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.
Chapel Hill is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Greene (MS) & Wayne (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Chapel Hill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chapel Hill:
- Washington County (The home county of Chapel Hill)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Mehaffey ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mehaffey is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehaffey
- Healing Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Millry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Copeland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Copeland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
- Barlow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Barlow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Bigbee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bigbee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Frankville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Frankville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Yellow Pine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Yellow Pine is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
- Chatom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hobson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hobson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
- Fruitdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fruitdale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitdale
- Saint Stephen's
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Tibbie
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Tibbie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbie
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Aquilla
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Aquilla is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Isney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Isney is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
- Cullomburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Emory
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Emory is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
- Bolinger
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bolinger is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolinger
- Silas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Souwilpa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
- Bladon Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Gilbertown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Melvin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Melvin is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Toxey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Toxey is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Okatuppa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Okatuppa is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okatuppa
- Womack Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Womack Hill is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack Hill
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Fakit Chipunta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fakit Chipunta
- West Bend
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Bend is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bend
- Coffeeville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Salitpa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Stave Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
- Winn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Winn is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Clarke County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Gin ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Gin is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin
- Shubuta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Shubuta is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shubuta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Junction City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Junction City is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- De Soto
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- De Soto is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
- Quitman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Greene County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- State Line
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- State Line is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
- Carson City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Carson City is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
- Clark
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Clark is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Wayne County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Robinsons Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Robinsons Junction is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsons Junction
- Chicora
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chicora is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicora
- Waynesboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Matherville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Matherville is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
- Clara
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clara is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara
- Whistler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Whistler is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistler
- Mulberry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chapel Hill, see our County-by-County Page for Chapel Hill.
Cemeteries Near Chapel Hill ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chapel Hill.
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 Chapel Hill - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chapel Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Wilkins Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Sand Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- North Oak Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Aquilla Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Old Aquilla Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Williamson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Philadelphus Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Zion Rest Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Minerva Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (253 more) ...
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Winsletts Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Loften Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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 Chapel Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chapel Hill.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chapel Hill, with the one closest to Chapel Hill listed first.
- Aquilla
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Aquilla is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Denham
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Denham is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham
- Isney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Isney is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
- Healing Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Tokio
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tokio is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tokio
- Millry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Silas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Emory
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Emory is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
- Winchester
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Winchester is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Rescueville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rescueville is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescueville
- Souwilpa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
- Koenton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Koenton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koenton
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Waynesboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Matherville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Matherville is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
- Boice
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Boice is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boice
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chapel Hill. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chapel Hill.
Newspapers Published in Chapel Hill ...
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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chapel Hill.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chapel Hill, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chapel Hill.
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 Chapel Hill:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Choctaw County
- Clarke County
- Clarke County
- Greene 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> | 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 Chapel Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Chapel Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |