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 Gurnee (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 Gurnee. 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.
Gurnee is located in Shelby 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 Shelby County: Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Jefferson, Saint Clair & Talladega.
Below are the counties that are near Gurnee. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gurnee:
- Shelby County (The home county of Gurnee)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Sawmill Town
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Sawmill Town is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Town
- Aden
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aden is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aden
- Brantleyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Brantleyville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantleyville
- Tulse
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
- Maylene
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bamford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bamford is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Siluria
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Siluria is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
- Alabaster
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Helena
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Montevallo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Falliston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Falliston is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
- Wilton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wilton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
- Former names for Wilton:
- Birmingham Junction
- Bismarck
- Catoosa
- Woods
- Woodsborough
- Saginaw
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Saginaw is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
- Bibb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Eddings
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Eddings is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Belle Ellen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Ellen is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Ellen
- Seymour
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Seymour is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
- Nash Town ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Nash Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
- Blocton ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Blocton is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
- Bucktown ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bucktown is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
- Corinne ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Corinne is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
- Italian Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Italian Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italian Town
- Green Pond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Woodstock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Brierfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Blocton Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Blocton Junction is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton Junction
- Blocton Junction has also been known as:
- Blockton Junc
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Jemison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thorsby
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Jumbo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jumbo is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
- Maplesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Coosa County
- Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Kimbrell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kimbrell is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbrell
- Greenwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- McCalla
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Mobile Junction
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Mobile Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile Junction
- New Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- New Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
- Bessemer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bullard Shoals ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bullard Shoals is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard Shoals
- Old Jonesboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Old Jonesboro is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Jonesboro
- Adger
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- North Johns
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- North Johns is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Blue Creek Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Blue Creek Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek Junction
- Shannon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Shannon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
- Hueytown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Bethlehem
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Oakmulgee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Talladega County
- Talladega Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Tannehill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
- Lake View
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake View is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Abernant
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Abernant is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernant
- Vance
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Brookwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bull City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
- Kellerman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kellerman is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerman
- Coaling
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Coaling is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,633 people
- Hagler
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hagler is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagler
- Pearson
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pearson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Peterson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Peterson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
- Cottondale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Duncanville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Duncanville is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncanville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gurnee, see our County-by-County Page for Gurnee.
Cemeteries Near Gurnee ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gurnee.
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 Gurnee - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gurnee covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Boothton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Antioch Cemetery #2
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Linholm Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Higganbotham Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- McKinney Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- McKensey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh MB Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Branch Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hebron Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wildwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (401 more) ...
- Ryan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Maylene Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gurnee had a population of 291 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gurnee, with the one closest to Gurnee listed first.
- Boothton
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Boothton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boothton
- Anita
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Anita is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anita
- Tulse
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
- Dogwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dogwood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
- Maylene
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bamford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bamford is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Montevallo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Siluria
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Siluria is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
- Helena
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tannehill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
- Blocton ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Blocton is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
- Falliston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Falliston is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Green Pond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Woodstock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Brierfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gurnee. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gurnee.
Newspapers Published in Gurnee ...
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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gurnee.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gurnee, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gurnee.
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 either 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 Gurnee:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bibb County
- Chilton County
- Coosa County
- Jefferson County
- Perry County
- Talladega County
- Tuscaloosa 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 Gurnee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Gurnee) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |