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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 Florala (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 Florala. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Florala is located in Covington 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 Covington County: Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Escambia, Geneva, Okaloosa (FL) & Walton (FL).

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

  • Covington County     (The home county of Florala)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Lockhart
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockhart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Red Oak
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
      • Red Oak is located in Covington County
    • Onycha
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onycha
      • Onycha is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
    • Beulah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beulah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
      • Beulah is located in Covington County
    • Horn Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horn Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horn Hill
      • Horn Hill is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
    • Wing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
      • Wing is located in Covington County
    • Falco
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falco
      • Falco is located in Covington County
    • Libertyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Libertyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
      • Libertyville is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Opp
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opp
      • Opp is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,313 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Opp <2>
    • Carolina
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carolina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
      • Carolina is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
    • Babbie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babbie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbie
      • Babbie is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
    • County Line
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for County Line have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
      • County Line is located in Covington County
    • Sanford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sanford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
      • Sanford is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Kinston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kinston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinston
      • Kinston is located in Coffee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kinston <2>
    • Alberton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberton
      • Alberton is located in Coffee County
    • Goodman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodman
      • Goodman is located in Coffee County
    • Curtis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
      • Curtis is located in Coffee County
    • Danleys Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danleys Crossroads
      • Danleys Crossroads is located in Coffee County
    • Central City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Coffee County
  • Escambia County
    • Bradley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Escambia County
  • Geneva County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Samson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Geneva
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Geneva County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geneva <2>
    • Costilla ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Costilla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costilla
      • Costilla is located in Geneva County
    • Coffee Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffee Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Springs
      • Coffee Springs is located in Geneva County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Eunola ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunola
      • Eunola is located in Geneva County
    • Chancellor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chancellor
      • Chancellor is located in Geneva County
  • Holmes County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Izagora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Izagora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County (FL)
    • Ponce de Leon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Okaloosa County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Svea
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
      • Svea is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
    • Laurel Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Garden City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
    • Cannon Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Town
      • Cannon Town is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
    • Crestview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crestview
      • Crestview is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,663 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crestview <2>
    • Baker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Milligan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Otahite ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Otahite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otahite
      • Otahite is located in Okaloosa County (FL)
  • Santa Rosa County (FL)
    • Belandville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belandville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belandville
      • Belandville is located in Santa Rosa County (FL)
  • Walton County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florala, with the one closest to Florala listed first.
    • Paxton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
      • Paxton is located in Walton County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 888 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxton <2>
    • Mossy Head
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Walton County (FL)
    • De Funiak Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Argyle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Florala ...

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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Florala.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Florala. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Florala and those printed in the larger area surrounding Florala.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4> of Florala.

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 Florala:

Cemeteries Near Florala ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Florala.

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 Florala covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Lockhart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel Hill Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • North Creek Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Creek Cemetery
  • Almarante Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Rock Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Hill Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
  • Corner Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corner Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corner Creek Cemetery
  • Corner Creek Upper Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corner Creek Upper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corner Creek Upper Cemetery
  • Continue List   (150 more) ...
    • Ebenezer Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
    • Old Sardis Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Sardis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Sardis Cemetery
    • Shiloh Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Florala had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Florala had a population of 1,891 people.

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

  • Gordon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Gordon is located in Walton County (FL)
  • Ealum
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ealum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ealum
    • Ealum is located in Walton County (FL)
  • Green Bay
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bay
    • Green Bay is located in Covington County
  • Beda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beda
    • Beda is located in Covington County
  • Mossy Head
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Marl
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marl have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marl
    • Marl is located in Geneva County
  • Wiggins
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiggins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiggins
    • Wiggins is located in Covington County
  • Union
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Union is located in Walton County (FL)
  • Andalusia
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Alberton
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberton
    • Alberton is located in Coffee County
  • Opine
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Opine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opine
    • Opine is located in Covington County
  • Rome
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
    • Rome is located in Covington County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Vaughanville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughanville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
      • Vaughanville is located in Geneva County
    • Fairfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Fairfield is located in Covington County
    • Argyle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Florala. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Florala) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Florala. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.0065, Longitude: -86.3297    
<5>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.
<6>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 Florala, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024