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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 Cortelyou (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 Cortelyou. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Cortelyou 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 Cortelyou. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cortelyou:

  • Washington County     (The home county of Cortelyou)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Wagarville
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Prestwick
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Prestwick is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestwick
    • Bassetts Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bassetts Creek is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassetts Creek
    • Sunflower
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Sunflower is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
    • Leroy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Leroy is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Carson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Carson is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Hawthorn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hawthorn is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
    • Saint Stephen's
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hobson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hobson is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
    • McIntosh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Seaboard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Seaboard is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaboard
    • Chatom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Chatom is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatom <1>
  • Baldwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Blacksher
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
    • Little River
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Tensaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
    • Latham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Latham is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
    • Stockton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Choctaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Bladon Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
    • Cullomburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
    • Silas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Rockville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Rockville is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
    • Jackson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Stave Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
    • Carlton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Salitpa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Salitpa is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
    • Alma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Alma is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Toddtown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Toddtown is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
    • Walker Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Winn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Winn is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
    • Gainestown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Gainestown is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
    • Zimco
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Zimco is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimco
    • Suggsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Suggsville is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
  • Mobile County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Calvert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Mount Vernon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Movico
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Movico is located in Mobile County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Movico
    • Chastang
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Chastang is located in Mobile County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
    • Citronelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bucks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Barry Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Barry Village is located in Mobile County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry Village
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cortelyou, with the one closest to Cortelyou listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Claiborne
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Claiborne is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
    • Perdue Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Perdue Hill is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdue Hill
    • Uriah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Greene County (MS)
    • State Line
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • State Line is located in Greene County (MS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people

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

Cemeteries Near Cortelyou ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cortelyou.

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 Cortelyou - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lewis Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Cortelyou Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Wagarville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Shady Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Williams Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunflower Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Clearwater Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fields Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Harris Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Leroy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (227 more) ...
    • St. Union - Mt. Stoney Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Brown Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Stoker Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Wagar
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Wagar is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagar
  • Sunflower
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Sunflower is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
  • Carson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Carson is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
  • Saint Stephen's
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Jackson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • McIntosh
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Salitpa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Salitpa is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
  • Alma
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Alma is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
  • Walker Springs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Sims Chapel
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
  • Winn
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Winn is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
  • Bigbee
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bigbee is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Fairford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fairford is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
    • Frankville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Frankville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
    • Calvert
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Cortelyou ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cortelyou.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cortelyou, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cortelyou.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Cortelyou:

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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Cortelyou) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Cortelyou, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.