The location of Erin
Our Genealogy Helper for Erin ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool that can help us with planning our trips.
- That it also helps us to understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
By learning about Erin (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 Erin. 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.
It's still very early in our research, but as we gather more information it will be added to this page.
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.
Erin is located in Clay County.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Clay County: Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega & Tallapoosa.
Below are the counties that are near Erin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Erin:
| Dir | Distance | ||
| Clay (The home county for Erin) | |||
| Ashland [Map] | SE | 7 miles [11.3 km]<1> | |
| Lineville [Map] | E | 9 miles [14.5 km] | |
| Chambers Springs [Map] | SW | 9 miles [14.5 km] | |
| Elder [Map] | NE | 10 miles [16.1 km] | |
| Barfield [Map] | E | 11 miles [17.7 km] | |
| Millerville [Map] | S | 11 miles [17.7 km] | |
| Delta [Map] | NE | 13 miles [20.9 km] | |
| Cragford [Map] | SE | 15 miles [24.1 km] | |
| Mellow Valley [Map] | SE | 15 miles [24.1 km] | |
| Hollins [Map] | SW | 21 miles [33.8 km] | |
| Motley [Map] | SE | 22 miles [35.4 km] | |
| Calhoun | |||
| Oxford [Map] | N | 16 miles [25.7 km] | |
| Friendship [Map] | NE | 16 miles [25.7 km] | |
| Bynum [Map] | N | 17 miles [27.4 km] | |
| Chinnabee - Historic [Map] | N | 17 miles [27.4 km] | |
| Hobson City [Map] | N | 17 miles [27.4 km] | |
| Eastaboga [Map] | N | 18 miles [29 km] | |
| Cobb Town [Map] | N | 19 miles [30.6 km] | |
| Anniston [Map] | N | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| Blue Eye - Historic [Map] | N | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| De Armanville [Map] | NE | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| Blue Mountain [Map] | N | 22 miles [35.4 km] | |
| Bera - Historic [Map] | N | 23 miles [37 km] | |
| Chambers | |||
| Abanda [Map] | SE | 28 miles [45.1 km] | |
| Penton [Map] | SE | 35 miles [56.3 km] | |
| Five Points [Map] | SE | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Cleburne | |||
| Abel [Map] | NE | 17 miles [27.4 km] | |
| Hollis Crossroads [Map] | NE | 19 miles [30.6 km] | |
| Micaville [Map] | NE | 23 miles [37 km] | |
| Arbacoochee [Map] | NE | 26 miles [41.8 km] | |
| Heflin [Map] | NE | 27 miles [43.5 km] | |
| Edwardsville [Map] | NE | 33 miles [53.1 km] | |
| Ranburne [Map] | E | 34 miles [54.7 km] | |
| Fruithurst [Map] | NE | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Muscadine [Map] | NE | 39 miles [62.8 km] | |
| Coosa | |||
| Goodwater [Map] | S | 22 miles [35.4 km] | |
| Mount Olive [Map] | SW | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Kellyton [Map] | S | 27 miles [43.5 km] | |
| Stewartville [Map] | SW | 27 miles [43.5 km] | |
| Ray [Map] | S | 33 miles [53.1 km] | |
| Weogufka [Map] | SW | 33 miles [53.1 km] | |
| Hissop [Map] | SW | 35 miles [56.3 km] | |
| Rockford [Map] | SW | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Etowah | |||
| Brannon Springs - Historic [Map] | N | 36 miles [57.9 km] | |
| Southside [Map] | N | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Cobb City [Map] | N | 38 miles [61.2 km] | |
| Pilgrims Rest [Map] | N | 38 miles [61.2 km] | |
| Glencoe [Map] | N | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Jefferson | |||
| Leeds [Map] | W | 39 miles [62.8 km] | |
| Cedar Grove - Historic [Map] | W | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Scott City [Map] | W | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Randolph | |||
| Almond [Map] | SE | 22 miles [35.4 km] | |
| Morrison Crossroad [Map] | E | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Wedowee [Map] | E | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Wadley [Map] | SE | 25 miles [40.2 km] | |
| Newell [Map] | E | 27 miles [43.5 km] | |
| Woodland [Map] | E | 29 miles [46.7 km] | |
| Graham [Map] | E | 34 miles [54.7 km] | |
| Roanoke [Map] | SE | 34 miles [54.7 km] | |
| Rock Mills [Map] | E | 38 miles [61.2 km] | |
| Saint Clair | |||
| Cropwell [Map] | NW | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Riverside [Map] | NW | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Fountainrun - Historic [Map] | W | 25 miles [40.2 km] | |
| Avondale Village [Map] | NW | 26 miles [41.8 km] | |
| Glen City [Map] | NW | 26 miles [41.8 km] | |
| Pell City [Map] | NW | 26 miles [41.8 km] | |
| Coal City [Map] | NW | 28 miles [45.1 km] | |
| Ragland [Map] | NW | 29 miles [46.7 km] | |
| Wattsville [Map] | NW | 30 miles [48.3 km] | |
| Cook's Springs [Map] | NW | 32 miles [51.5 km] | |
| Odenville [Map] | NW | 35 miles [56.3 km] | |
| Branchville [Map] | NW | 36 miles [57.9 km] | |
| Shelby | |||
| Vincent [Map] | W | 29 miles [46.7 km] | |
| Calcis [Map] | W | 30 miles [48.3 km] | |
| Harpersville [Map] | W | 30 miles [48.3 km] | |
| Sterrett [Map] | W | 33 miles [53.1 km] | |
| Wilsonville [Map] | W | 34 miles [54.7 km] | |
| Vandiver [Map] | W | 35 miles [56.3 km] | |
| Westover [Map] | W | 35 miles [56.3 km] | |
| Dunnavant [Map] | W | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Merrell Beach [Map] | SW | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Pine Grove Village [Map] | SW | 40 miles [64.4 km] | |
| Talladega | |||
| Chandler Springs [Map] | SW | 5 miles [8 km] | |
| Waldo [Map] | W | 7 miles [11.3 km] | |
| Munford [Map] | N | 11 miles [17.7 km] | |
| Talladega [Map] | NW | 11 miles [17.7 km] | |
| Grant Town [Map] | N | 12 miles [19.3 km] | |
| Abihka - Historic [Map] | W | 15 miles [24.1 km] | |
| Winterboro [Map] | W | 16 miles [25.7 km] | |
| Sycamore [Map] | SW | 18 miles [29 km] | |
| Alpine [Map] | W | 19 miles [30.6 km] | |
| Lincoln [Map] | NW | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| Windsong Island [Map] | NW | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| Colony [Map] | NW | 21 miles [33.8 km] | |
| Tallapoosa | |||
| Goldville [Map] | S | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| Hackneyville [Map] | S | 20 miles [32.2 km] | |
| New Site [Map] | S | 24 miles [38.6 km] | |
| Daviston [Map] | SE | 26 miles [41.8 km] | |
| Frog Eye [Map] | SE | 29 miles [46.7 km] | |
| Alexander City [Map] | S | 30 miles [48.3 km] | |
| Jacksons' Gap [Map] | S | 33 miles [53.1 km] | |
| Alkehatchee - Historic [Map] | S | 34 miles [54.7 km] | |
| Dadeville [Map] | S | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Our Town [Map] | S | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
| Slaughters - Historic [Map] | S | 39 miles [62.8 km] | |
| Carroll (GA) | |||
| Bowdon (GA) [Map] | E | 39 miles [62.8 km] | |
| Heard (GA) | |||
| Ephesus (GA) [Map] | E | 37 miles [59.5 km] | |
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Erin, see our County-by-County Page for Erin.
Cemeteries Near Erin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Erin.
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 click on the [Map] that follows each cemetery's name, a Google map will open showing a satellite view of the area where the cemetery is located. We have tried to place the cemetery in the center of the map, but we're still working on our data and the map might not not be centered properly. If you don't see the cemetery right away, try zooming-in. Usually, but not always, you can see the outline of the cemetery or some of the headstones.
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 Erin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
Newspapers Published in Erin ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Erin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Erin, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Erin.
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 Erin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Erin.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Erin, with the one closest to Erin listed first.
| Chandler Springs [Map] | |
| - | Located 5 miles [8 km] to the West Southwest (WSW) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 15 people |
| - | Chandler Springs had a post office and no railroad service |
| Ironaton [Map] | |
| - | Located 5 miles [8 km] to the Northwest (NW) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 562 people |
| - | Ironaton had a post office and railroad service |
| Ashland [Map] | |
| - | Located 7 miles [11.3 km] to the Southeast (SE) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 635 people (with 1,932 people in 2017) |
| - | Ashland had a post office and no railroad service |
| Waldo [Map] | |
| - | Located 7 miles [11.3 km] to the West Northwest (WNW) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 20 people (with 272 people in 2017) |
| - | Waldo had a post office and no railroad service |
| Smelley [Map] | |
| - | Located 9 miles [14.5 km] to the West (W) from Erin |
| - | Smelley had a post office and no railroad service |
| Hopeful [Map] | |
| - | Located 9 miles [14.5 km] to the North (N) from Erin |
| - | Hopeful had a post office and no railroad service |
| McElderry [Map] | |
| - | Located 9 miles [14.5 km] to the North Northwest (NNW) from Erin |
| - | McElderry had a post office and railroad service |
| Lineville [Map] | |
| - | Located 9 miles [14.5 km] to the East Southeast (ESE) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 234 people (with 2,263 people in 2017) |
| - | Lineville had a post office and no railroad service |
| Munford [Map] | |
| - | Located 11 miles [17.7 km] to the North Northwest (NNW) from Erin |
| - | 1895 population of 159 people (with 1,259 people in 2015) |
| - | Munford had a post office and railroad service |
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Erin. The list can be found on our page for Communities Neighboring Erin in the 1890's.
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 all and free to view - you should note that they might link to other websites which do charge.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Erin:
These websites are specific to Alabama:
| Cyndi's List | Family Search | Genealogy Trails |
Website for the Alabama Department of Archives & History
Not to be confused with the official state website, we've found the Digital State Archives website for the State of Alabama to be a good source for additional links.
These pages are specific to Clay County:
| Cyndi's List | Family Search | Genealogy Trails |
Genealogy information for nearby counties:
Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama:
| Cyndi's List: | Cemeteries of Alabama, Cemeteries of Clay County |
| Cemetery Junction: | Directory for Alabama |
| FamilySearch.org: | Cemetery Wiki for Alabama |
| Find-A-Grave: | Home Page |
| Internment.net: | Cemeteries for Alabama, for Clay County |
Of Special Interest ...
The GenDisasters website specializes in newspaper articles about tragedies and disasters. While it makes interesting reading all by itself, it should be of special interest to genealogists and family historians looking for people who were either affected by or directly involved in such tragedies.
| Disaster Stories from Alabama |
| Also see Disaster Stories for ... |
| Georgia |
Other Roadside Stops ...
Cities, Towns and Villages of Alabama
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Erin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Erin) to Point B. Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Erin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3626, Longitude: -85.9086 [Map]. In this case, the coordinates for Erin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Erin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |