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 Chico (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 Chico. 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 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.
Chico is located in Talladega 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 Talladega County: Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Saint Clair & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Chico. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chico:
- Talladega County (The home county of Chico)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Oldfield
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Oldfield is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Sycamore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Mignon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mignon is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mignon
- Sylacauga
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Abihka ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Abihka is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abihka
- Comerdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Comerdale is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comerdale
- Oak Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 513 people
- Zubers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Zubers is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
- Rendalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rendalia is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendalia
- Winterboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Winterboro is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterboro
- Gantts Quarry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
- Bon Air
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Bon Air is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Alpine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Eastaboga
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bynum
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bynum is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
- Bynum has also been known as:
- Bynum's
- Chilton County
- Jumbo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jumbo is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Hollins
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hollins is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollins
- Chambers Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chambers Springs is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers Springs
- Millerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Millerville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerville
- Harkins Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Harkins Crossroads is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harkins Crossroads
- Erin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Erin is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin
- Ashland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Ashland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,872 people
- Mellow Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mellow Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellow Valley
- Lineville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Barfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Barfield is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfield
- Elder
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elder is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Cragford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Haynes Crossroad
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Haynes Crossroad is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossroad
- Coosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Mount Olive
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mount Olive is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Stewartville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Stewartville is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartville
- Goodwater
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Weogufka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Weogufka is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weogufka
- Kellyton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kellyton is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Hissop
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hissop is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hissop
- Rockford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
- Ray
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Ray is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
- Cottage Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cottage Grove is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
- Fishpond
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fishpond is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishpond
- Dollar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dollar is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
- Nixburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Nixburg is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixburg
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Leeds
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Vincent
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fountainrun ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Fountainrun is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainrun
- Easonville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Easonville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonville
- Cropwell
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Glen City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
- Pell City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Seddon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
- Avondale Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
- Riverside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Cook's Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
- Brompton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brompton is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brompton
- Coal City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Moody
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Harpersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Calcis
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Calcis is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcis
- Merrell Beach
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Merrell Beach is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrell Beach
- Westover
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Westover is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,769 people
- Pine Grove Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Grove Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Village
- Sterrett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Columbiana
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Shelby
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Vandiver
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Chelsea
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dunavant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dunavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Dunnavant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dunnavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnavant
- Tallapoosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Hackneyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hackneyville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackneyville
- Cowpens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cowpens is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowpens
- Goldville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Goldville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Alexander City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Site
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- New Site is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Site
- Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
- Alkehatchee ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alkehatchee is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkehatchee
- Emuckfaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Emuckfaw is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emuckfaw
- Our Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Our Town is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chico, see our County-by-County Page for Chico.
Cemeteries Near Chico ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chico.
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 Chico - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chico covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Evergreen Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Comers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Westview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Mount Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Odena Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rising Star Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Summer Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Allen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wilson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Winterboro Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hollins Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (351 more) ...
- Darby Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Smelley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smelley Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Smelley Cemetery is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<2> to the south of Talladega.
- The Smelley Cemetery has also been known as:
- Smelley Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2495949 <3>
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 Chico in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chico.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chico, with the one closest to Chico listed first.
- Oldfield
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Oldfield is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Sycamore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Sylacauga
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Zubers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Zubers is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
- Hollins
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hollins is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollins
- Rendalia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rendalia is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rendalia
- Alpine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hatchet Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Hatchet Creek is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchet Creek
- Berney's
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Berney's is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berney's
- Stewartville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Stewartville is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartville
- Mount Olive
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mount Olive is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Smelley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Smelley is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smelley
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Childersburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nottingham ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Nottingham is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
- Former name for Nottingham:
- Jones Camp Ground
- Fayetteville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chico. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chico.
Newspapers Published in Chico ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chico.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chico, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chico.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Chico:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Talladega County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Chilton County
- Clay County
- Coosa County
- Jefferson County
- Saint Clair County
- Shelby County
- Tallapoosa 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chico) 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 Chico, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |