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 Highland Lake (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 Highland Lake. 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.
Name Variations for Highland Lake ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Highland Lake: Highland Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Highland Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Highland Lake.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Highland Lake is located in Blount 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 Blount County: Cullman, Etowah, Jefferson, Marshall, Saint Clair, Walker & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Highland Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Highland Lake:
- Blount County (The home county of Highland Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Appalachian
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Appalachian is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appalachian
- Straight Mountain
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Straight Mountain is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Mountain
- Taits Gap
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Taits Gap is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taits Gap
- Oneonta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Allgood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Allgood is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allgood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- Hoods Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Hoods Crossroads is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoods Crossroads
- Rosa
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rosa is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
- Deavers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Deavers is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
- Bird ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Little Warrior
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Fridays Crossing
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Fridays Crossing is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fridays Crossing
- Cleveland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Remlap
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Southside
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Macon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Macon is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
- Cochran Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cochran Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochran Springs
- Ohatchee
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Bruner ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bruner is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Boozer ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Boozer is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boozer
- Beasley ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Beasley is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Grayton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Grayton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayton
- Oak Level
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Oak Level is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Creek is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Douthrittville ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Douthrittville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douthrittville
- Chigger Ridge ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Chigger Ridge is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chigger Ridge
- Blue Eye ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Eye is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Eye
- Cullman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Garden City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Hanceville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Holly Pond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Baileytown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Baileytown is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileytown
- White City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- White City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Black Bottom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Black Bottom is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bottom
- Baltimore ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Baltimore is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- Damascus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Damascus is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Berlin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Colony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Estimated population in 2015: 273 people
- The Colony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- The Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Baileyton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dodge City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dodge City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
- DeKalb County
- Mount Zion ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Zion is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Nix ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Nix is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
- Altoona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Springs ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
- Gallant
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gallant is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
- Walnut Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Grove is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
- Benson ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Benson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- Howelton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Howelton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howelton
- Ivalee
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ivalee is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivalee
- Attalla
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Aurora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Aurora is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Egypt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Egypt is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Ridgeville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgeville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Bennettsville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bennettsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennettsville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Ayres
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ayres is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
- Village Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
- Clay
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Masseyline
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
- Palmerdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Palmerdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerdale
- Bradford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bradford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Breakstone Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Breakstone Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakstone Village
- East Trussville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- East Trussville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trussville
- Trafford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Cahaba Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cahaba Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Village
- Chalkville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chalkville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalkville
- Crosston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Crosston is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosston
- Grayson Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Grayson Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson Valley
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Reedbrake ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Douglas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Douglas is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Horton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Horton is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Whitesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Whitesville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
- Big Spring ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Big Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Bowen ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bowen is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Hyatt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Hyatt is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyatt
- Boaz
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Askea Grove is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askea Grove
- Street ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Street is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Street
- Rabbit Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rabbit Town is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
- Albertville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Morgan County
- Hulaco
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hulaco is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulaco
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Whitney Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Saint Clair Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Saint Clair Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair Springs
- Springville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ashville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Steele
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Branchville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
- Argo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Argo is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
- Margaret
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Odenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
- Wattsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Acmar
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Acmar is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acmar
- Coal City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Dunnavant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Dunnavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnavant
- Dunavant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dunavant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Vandiver
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sterrett
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Colony
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Lincoln
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Windsong Island
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Highland Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Highland Lake.
Cemeteries Near Highland Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Highland Lake.
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 Highland Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Highland Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Clements Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Oakhill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Antioch Methodist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch Methodist Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Antioch Methodist Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the east of Oneonta.
- The Antioch Methodist Cemetery has also been known as:
- Glover Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1995274 <3>
- Valley View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hooper Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Reeves Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Beason / Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mauldin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Clear Springs Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Moore Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (347 more) ...
- Choate Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Chitwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
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 Highland Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Highland Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Highland Lake, with the one closest to Highland Lake listed first.
- Champion
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Champion is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champion
- Chepultepec
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Chepultepec is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepultepec
- Oneonta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Caldwell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Viola ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Viola is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Whitney
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Whitney is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Springville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ashville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Nix ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Nix is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
- Bird ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bird is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Little Warrior
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Remlap
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Clear Springs ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
- Cleveland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Compton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Compton is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Highland Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Highland Lake.
Newspapers Published in Highland Lake ...
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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Highland Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Highland Lake, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Highland Lake.
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 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 Highland Lake:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Blount County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Cullman County
- DeKalb County
- Etowah County
- Jefferson County
- Marshall County
- Morgan County
- Saint Clair County
- Shelby County
- Talladega 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Highland Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Highland Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |