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 Forest Park (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 Forest Park. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Forest Park is located in Houston 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 Houston County: Dale, Geneva, Henry, Jackson (FL), Early (GA) & Seminole (GA).
Below are the counties that are near Forest Park. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest Park:
- Houston County (The home county of Forest Park)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Parish
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Cowarts
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Dothan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Webb
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tidwell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tidwell is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidwell
- Avon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Avon is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
- Kinsey
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kinsey is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinsey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,293 people
- Ashford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Keyton's
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Keyton's is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyton's
- Barber
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Barber is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Parker Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Parker Village is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker Village
- Rehobeth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rehobeth is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehobeth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,699 people
- Taylor
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Taylor is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,440 people
- Coffee County
- Enterprise
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Dale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Grimes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Grimes is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 556 people
- Napier Field
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Napier Field is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier Field
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Midland City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pinckard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Newton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,451 people
- Ewell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ewell is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
- Mabson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mabson is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabson
- Clayhatchee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Clayhatchee is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayhatchee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 580 people
- Daleville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bertha
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bertha is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
- Fort Rucker
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Ozark
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Level Plains
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Level Plains is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Plains
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,952 people
- Geneva County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Malvern
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Slocomb
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Dundee is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Hartford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Black
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Black is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Bellwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bellwood is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
- Scranton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Scranton is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Headland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Newville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Newville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 510 people
- Haleburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Haleburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haleburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Capps
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Capps is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capps
- Oakey Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Oakey Grove is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakey Grove
- Abbeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Graball
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Graball is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graball
- Former names for Graball:
- Hart's Crossroads
- Hudspeth's Crossroads
- Shorterville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Shorterville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorterville
- Holmes County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Noma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Esto
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Esto is located in Holmes County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
- Jackson County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Campbellton
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Graceville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Malone
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jacob City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Jacob City is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacob City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- Bascom
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cottondale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Two Egg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Two Egg is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Egg
- Marianna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Early County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Cedar Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Sawhatchee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sawhatchee is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawhatchee
- Rock Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Hill is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Population from the 2010 Census: 248 people
- Jakin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Springfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Springfield is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Estimated population in 2019: 4,084 people
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Blakely
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hentown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hentown is located in Early County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hentown
- Estimated population in 2019: 3,944 people
- Miller County (GA)
- Mayhaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mayhaw is located in Miller County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
- Seminole County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Steam Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Steam Mill is located in Seminole County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steam Mill
- Donalsonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest Park, see our County-by-County Page for Forest Park.
Cemeteries Near Forest Park ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest Park.
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 Forest Park - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest Park covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Hurts Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Dothan City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gates of Heaven Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Cowarts Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Crestlawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Selma Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma Cemetery
- The Selma Cemetery has also been known as:
- Selma Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2594112 <2>
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cowarts Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Little Vine Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Memory Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (201 more) ...
- Bluff Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Beulah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Webb Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 Forest Park in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Forest Park.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest Park, with the one closest to Forest Park listed first.
- Tidwell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tidwell is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidwell
- Keyton's
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Keyton's is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyton's
- Ashford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Barber
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Barber is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Headland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Big Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Big Creek is located in Houston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
- Midland City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fadette
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fadette is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fadette
- Balkum
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Balkum is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balkum
- Newton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,451 people
- Campbellton
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Cedar Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Dundee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Dundee is located in Geneva County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Graceville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Echo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Echo is located in Dale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest Park. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest Park.
Newspapers Published in Forest Park ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest Park.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest Park, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest Park.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Forest Park:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Houston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coffee County
- Dale County
- Geneva County
- Henry County
- Holmes County
- Jackson County
- Early County
- Miller County
- Seminole 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 Forest Park, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Forest Park) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |