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 Cross Keys (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 Cross Keys. 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 hospitals and 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.
Cross Keys is located in Macon 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 Macon County: Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Montgomery, Russell & Tallapoosa.
Below are the counties that are near Cross Keys. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cross Keys:
- Macon County (The home county of Cross Keys)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Calebee
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Calebee is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calebee
- La Place
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- La Place is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Place
- Hardaway
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hardaway is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardaway
- Shorter
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Tysonville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tysonville is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tysonville
- Hornady
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hornady is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornady
- Franklin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Davis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tuskegee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Armstrong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Armstrong is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Liberty City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty City is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
- Notasulga
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Autauga County
- Millbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bullock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Mitchell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Fitzpatrick
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fitzpatrick is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzpatrick
- Union Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Inverness
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Inverness is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inverness
- Postoak
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Postoak is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Postoak
- Three Notch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Three Notch is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Notch
- Pine Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Midway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Midway is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Population from the 2020 Census: 457 people
- Perote
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Perote is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perote
- Smuteye
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Smuteye is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smuteye
- Elmore County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Ware
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ware is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Tallassee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Fusihatchi ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fusihatchi is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fusihatchi
- Kent
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Claud
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Claud is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claud
- Blue Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Ridge is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
- Eclectic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wetumpka
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Jordan is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Central
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Central is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
- Irma ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Irma is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
- Coosada
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hale County
- Erie ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Erie is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Loachapoka
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgewood Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgewood Village is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- Roxana
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Roxana is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
- Auburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Cecil
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cecil is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
- Waugh
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Waugh is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
- Mount Meigs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Meigs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Meigs
- Pike Road
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sunshine Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sunshine Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine Village
- Pine Level
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Level is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
- Madison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Madison is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
- Capitol Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Capitol Heights is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol Heights
- Red Level
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Red Level is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Boylston
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Boylston is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boylston
- Montgomery
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- New Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- New Town is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Orion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Orion is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Saco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Saco is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saco
- Linwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Linwood is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Meeksville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Meeksville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeksville
- Needmore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Needmore is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Russell County
- Hurtsboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hurtsboro is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
- Tallapoosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- East Tallassee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- East Tallassee is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tallassee
- Tallapoosa City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tallapoosa City is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallapoosa City
- Reeltown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Reeltown is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeltown
- Church Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Church Hill is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Susannah ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Susannah is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susannah
- Benson ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Benson is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cross Keys, see our County-by-County Page for Cross Keys.
Cemeteries Near Cross Keys ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cross Keys.
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 Cross Keys - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cross Keys covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Ambers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oswalt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Silah Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hardaway Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cole Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sweet Gum Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- White Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Green - Cook Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (297 more) ...
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bradford Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Judkins Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cross Keys had a population of 62 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- La Place
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- La Place is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Place
- Shorter
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Thompson is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
- Fort Davis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cotton Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cotton Valley is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Valley
- Ware
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ware is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Mount Meigs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Meigs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Meigs
- Tuskegee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tallassee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Chehaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chehaw is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chehaw
- Perry's Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Perry's Mill is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry's Mill
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Pike Road
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Shopton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Shopton is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopton
- Hector
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hector is located in Bullock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hector
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cross Keys. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cross Keys.
Newspapers Published in Cross Keys ...
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 Cross Keys.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cross Keys, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cross Keys.
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 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 Cross Keys:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Macon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bullock County
- Elmore County
- Hale County
- Lee County
- Montgomery County
- Pike County
- Russell 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> | 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 Cross Keys, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Cross Keys) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |