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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 Decatur (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 Decatur. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Decatur is primarily located in Morgan County and is the County Seat. A portion of Decatur extends into Limestone County.

To see how the shape of Alabama's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Morgan County: Cullman, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall & Winston.

Below are the counties that are near Decatur. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Decatur:

  • Morgan County     (The home county of Decatur)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Simpson
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
      • Simpson is located in Morgan County
    • Moulton Heights
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moulton Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moulton Heights
      • Moulton Heights is located in Morgan County
    • Russell Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Village
      • Russell Village is located in Morgan County
    • Austinville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Flint City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint City
      • Flint City is located in Morgan County
    • Trinity
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trinity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
      • Trinity is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trinity <2>
    • Burningtree Mountain
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burningtree Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burningtree Mountain
      • Burningtree Mountain is located in Morgan County
    • Priceville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartselle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bluff City ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Morgan County
    • Somerville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Danville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Leesdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leesdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesdale
      • Leesdale is located in Morgan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leesdale
      • From Decatur to Leesdale
  • Colbert County
    • Garner ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
      • Garner is located in Colbert County
  • Cullman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • West Point
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
      • West Point is located in Cullman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 604 people
    • Central
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • South Vinemont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Vinemont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vinemont
      • South Vinemont is located in Cullman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 636 people
    • Vinemont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinemont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinemont
      • Vinemont is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinemont <2>
    • Jones' Chapel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Chances Crossroad
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Cullman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Fairview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Cullman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
    • Simcoe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Simcoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simcoe
      • Simcoe is located in Cullman County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Simcoe
      • From Decatur to Simcoe
    • East Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Baileyton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lauderdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Dells Vista Shores
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Confluence
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Confluence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confluence
      • Confluence is located in Lauderdale County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Confluence
      • From Decatur to Confluence
    • Rogersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Estep ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estep have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estep
      • Estep is located in Lauderdale County
    • Cedar Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedar Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
      • Cedar Hill is located in Lauderdale County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cedar Hill
      • From Decatur to Cedar Hill
    • Anderson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleview ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
      • Belleview is located in Lauderdale County
    • Corum ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corum
      • Corum is located in Lauderdale County
    • Elgin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bethel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bethel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Lauderdale County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bethel
      • From Decatur to Bethel
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Hillsboro
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
      • Hillsboro is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 512 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <2>
    • Oakville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
      • Oakville is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oakville
      • From Decatur to Oakville
    • Chalybeate Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Mountain Home
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Moulton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Courtland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • North Courtland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Courtland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Courtland
      • North Courtland is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
    • Wren
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
      • Wren is located in Lawrence County
    • Muck City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muck City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muck City
      • Muck City is located in Lawrence County
    • Red Bank
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hatton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Town Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
      • Town Creek is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Town Creek <2>
    • Wheeler Dam Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler Dam Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler Dam Village
      • Wheeler Dam Village is located in Lawrence County
  • Limestone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Harris Station
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Orrville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrville
      • Orrville is located in Limestone County
    • Mooresville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Belle Mina
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belle Mina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Mina
      • Belle Mina is located in Limestone County
    • Westlake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Tanner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Swancott
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swancott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swancott
      • Swancott is located in Limestone County
    • Country Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
      • Country Village is located in Limestone County
    • Athens
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Ripley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Capshaw
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capshaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capshaw
      • Capshaw is located in Limestone County
    • Poplar Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hay's Mill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Triana
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Triana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triana
      • Triana is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,327 people
    • Slaughter Landing ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Slaughter Landing. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughter Landing
      • Slaughter Landing is located in Madison County
      • Slaughter Landing has also been known as:
      • Slaughter Ferry
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Slaughter Landing
      • From Decatur to Slaughter Landing
    • Madison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Madison is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52,654 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madison <2>
    • Monrovia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Rideout Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rideout Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rideout Village
      • Rideout Village is located in Madison County
    • Jeff
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jeff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff
      • Jeff is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jeff
      • From Decatur to Jeff
    • Chelsea
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Harvest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvest
      • Harvest is located in Madison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvest <2>
    • English Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Village
      • English Village is located in Madison County
    • Whitesburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Whitesburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesburg
      • Whitesburg is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Whitesburg
      • From Decatur to Whitesburg
    • Huntsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Madison County
    • Greenwycke Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwycke Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwycke Village
      • Greenwycke Village is located in Madison County
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Ruth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Ruth is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ruth
      • From Decatur to Ruth
    • Hog Jaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Lake Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake Village
      • Pine Lake Village is located in Marshall County
  • Winston County
  • Giles County (TN)
  • Lincoln County (TN)

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

Cemeteries Near Decatur ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Decatur.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Adkins Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Decatur Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Sykes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sykes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sykes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Roselawn Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roselawn Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roselawn Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dancy Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dancy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dancy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stroup Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stroup Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stroup Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blackwell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Crow Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crow Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burleson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burleson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burleson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chestnut Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chestnut Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chestnut Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rather Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rather Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rather Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (917 more) ...
    • Wise Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wise Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oakview Memorial Gardens
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakview Memorial Gardens
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakview Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oakland Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Decatur had a population of 2,765 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Decatur had a population of 54,381 people.

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

  • Simpson
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
    • Simpson is located in Morgan County
  • Decatur Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Decatur Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur Junction
    • Decatur Junction is located in Limestone County
  • Harris Station
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mooresville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Priceville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Neel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neel
    • Neel is located in Morgan County
  • Greenbrier
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenbrier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbrier
    • Greenbrier is located in Limestone County
  • Hartselle
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Swancott
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swancott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swancott
    • Swancott is located in Limestone County
  • Hillsboro
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
    • Hillsboro is located in Lawrence County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 512 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <2>
  • Somerville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Triana
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Triana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triana
    • Triana is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,327 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Oakville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
      • Oakville is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oakville
      • From Decatur to Oakville
    • Blackburn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
      • Blackburn is located in Limestone County
    • Leesdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leesdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesdale
      • Leesdale is located in Morgan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leesdale
      • From Decatur to Leesdale

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Decatur ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Decatur.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Decatur. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Decatur and those printed in the larger area surrounding Decatur.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<6> of Decatur.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Decatur:

The official website for Decatur: www.digitaldecatur.com/

The official website for Morgan County: www.co.morgan.al.us/

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Decatur, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Decatur) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Decatur. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5932, Longitude: -86.9804    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025