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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 Eliska (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 Eliska. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Eliska is located in Monroe 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 Monroe County: Baldwin, Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia & Wilcox.

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

  • Monroe County     (The home county of Eliska)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Uriah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Goodway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Goodway is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodway
    • Megargel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Megargel is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Megargel
    • Perdue Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Perdue Hill is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdue Hill
    • Claiborne
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Claiborne is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
    • Frisco City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Excel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Excel is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
    • Mexia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mexia is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mexia
    • Ollie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ollie is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ollie
    • Finchburg ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Finchburg is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchburg
    • Monroeville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Scratch Ankle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Scratch Ankle is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scratch Ankle
  • Baldwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Little River
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Blacksher
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
    • Tensaw
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
    • Latham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Latham is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
    • Perdido
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Stockton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Gainestown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Gainestown is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
    • Barlow Bend
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Barlow Bend is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow Bend
    • Alma
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Alma is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
    • Carlton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rockville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Rockville is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
    • Walker Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Suggsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Suggsville is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
    • Jackson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Whatley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Whatley is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whatley
    • Stave Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
    • Toddtown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Toddtown is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
    • Grove Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Winn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Winn is located in Clarke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
  • Conecuh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Range
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Range is located in Conecuh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Range
    • Repton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Lenox
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Bermuda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Bermuda is located in Conecuh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda
  • Escambia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Huxford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Huxford is located in Escambia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxford
    • Atmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mobile County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Calvert
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Vernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Movico
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Movico is located in Mobile County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Movico
    • Chastang
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Chastang is located in Mobile County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eliska, with the one closest to Eliska listed first.
    • Carson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Carson is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Prestwick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Prestwick is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestwick
    • Leroy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Leroy is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
    • Sunflower
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Sunflower is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
    • Bassetts Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Bassetts Creek is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassetts Creek
    • McIntosh
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wagarville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Malcolm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Malcolm is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcolm
    • Hawthorn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Hawthorn is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
    • Saint Stephen's
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairford is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
    • Hobson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Hobson is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
    • Sims Chapel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel

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

Cemeteries Near Eliska ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eliska.

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

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

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

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

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

  • Mount Pleasant
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Little River
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Gainestown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Gainestown is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
  • Barlow Bend
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Barlow Bend is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow Bend
  • Alma
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Alma is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
  • Blacksher
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
  • Walker Springs
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Tensaw
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
  • Perdue Hill
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Perdue Hill is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdue Hill
  • Suggsville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Suggsville is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
  • Claiborne
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Claiborne is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
  • Gosport
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Gosport is located in Clarke County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosport
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Jackson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Carson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Carson is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
    • Wagar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Wagar is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagar

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

Newspapers Published in Eliska ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eliska.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eliska, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Eliska.

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 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 Eliska:

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Eliska) 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 Eliska, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.