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 Crystal Springs (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 Crystal Springs. 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 Crystal Springs ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Crystal Springs: Crystal Spgs. (or less commonly used: Crystal Spngs. or Crystal Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Crystal Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Crystal Springs.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Crystal Springs is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Saint Clair & Talladega.
Below are the counties that are near Crystal Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Crystal Springs:
- Calhoun County (The home county of Crystal Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Mack ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mack is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Wellington
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Wellington is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hebron is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Douthrittville ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Douthrittville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douthrittville
- Oak Level
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Level is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Angel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Angel is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
- Alexandria
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Clark ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Clark is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
- Grayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Blue Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Springs
- Cochran Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Straight Mountain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Appalachian
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Highland Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Highland Lake is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Taits Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Bird ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Hoods Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Ball Flat
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ball Flat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Flat
- Ricks ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ricks is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricks
- Spring Garden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Spring Garden is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Turkey Town ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Turkey Town is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Town
- Leesburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Centre
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Exie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Exie is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exie
- Moshat
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Anderson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rock Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Run is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run
- Noah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Noah is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noah
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Elder
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Elder is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Haynes Crossroad
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Haynes Crossroad is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossroad
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Grantley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Grantley is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantley
- Heflin
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Level
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Oak Level is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Abel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Abel is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
- Borden Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Borden Springs is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Springs
- Edwardsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Edwardsville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- Palestine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Palestine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Hollis Crossroads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hollis Crossroads is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Crossroads
- Fruithurst
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Fruithurst is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruithurst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Ai
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ai is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ai
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Marcus ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Marcus is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
- Rodentown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rodentown is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodentown
- Mount Zion ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Zion is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Collinsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cotnam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cotnam is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotnam
- Rains ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rains is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rains
- Crossville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Dawson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Dawson is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Mount Vernon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Vernon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Cobb City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cobb City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
- Glencoe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
- Markton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Markton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
- Pilgrims Rest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pilgrims Rest is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
- Burns Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Burns Park is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Park
- Hokes Bluff
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- East Gadsden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Rainbow City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Edwardsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Edwardsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Banner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Banner is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
- Gadsden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Boaz
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Whitesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Whitesville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Ragland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Steele
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Ashville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Whitney Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Riverside
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Coal City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Wattsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Seddon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
- Avondale Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
- Glen City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
- Pell City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cropwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Coldwater
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Silver Run
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Silver Run is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Run
- Grant Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Grant Town is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
- Kentuck
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Kentuck is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Munford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lincoln
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- McElderry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- McElderry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElderry
- Colony
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Windsong Island
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
- Ironaton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Ironaton is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironaton
- Polk County (GA)
- Esom Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Crystal Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Crystal Springs.
Cemeteries Near Crystal Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Crystal Springs.
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 Crystal Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Crystal Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Crystal Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Hebron Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Crooks Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Alexandria Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Moore Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ohatchee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gladden Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (322 more) ...
- Tredagar - Boozer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
- The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mountain View Baptist Church Cemetery
- Trinity Christian Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2172971 <2>
- Middleton Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<3>
While we didn't find Crystal Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Crystal Springs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Crystal Springs, with the one closest to Crystal Springs listed first.
- Duke
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Duke is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
- Peek's Hill ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Peek's Hill is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peek's Hill
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hebron is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Sulphur Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Mack ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mack is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Laney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Laney is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laney
- Grayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Alexandria
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Markton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Markton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
- Colvins Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Colvins Gap is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colvins Gap
- Ottery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ottery is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottery
- Ohatchee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Peaceburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Peaceburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceburg
- Adelia ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Adelia is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelia
- Francis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Francis is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francis
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Crystal Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Crystal Springs.
Newspapers Published in Crystal Springs ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Crystal Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Crystal Springs, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Crystal Springs.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Crystal Springs:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Calhoun County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Cherokee County
- Clay County
- Cleburne County
- DeKalb County
- Etowah County
- Marshall County
- Saint Clair County
- Talladega County
- Polk 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> | 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> | 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 Crystal Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 from Point A (ie- Crystal Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |