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 Hillcrest (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 Hillcrest. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Hillcrest is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Saint Clair & Talladega.
Below are the counties that are near Hillcrest. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hillcrest:
- Calhoun County (The home county of Hillcrest)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Saks
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Saks is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saks
- Weaver
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Weaver is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,030 people
- Blue Mountain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Blue Mountain is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mountain
- Leatherwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Leatherwood is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Blue Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Blue Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Springs
- Fort McClellan ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fort McClellan is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McClellan
- Alexandria
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Anniston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Oxanna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Oxanna is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxanna
- Peaceburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Peaceburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceburg
- Booker T City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Booker T City is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booker T City
- Bera ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bera is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bera
- Cobb Town
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cobb Town is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Town
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Ball Flat
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Ball Flat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Flat
- Spring Garden
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Garden is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Ricks ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Ricks is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricks
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Exie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Exie is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exie
- Rock Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Run is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run
- Turkey Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Turkey Town is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Town
- Moshat
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Tecumseh
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tecumseh is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
- Centre
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Elder
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Elder is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elder
- Delta
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Haynes Crossroad
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Haynes Crossroad is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Crossroad
- Barfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Barfield is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfield
- Erin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Erin is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin
- Lineville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ashland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ashland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,872 people
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Abel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Abel is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abel
- Heflin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Hollis Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hollis Crossroads is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis Crossroads
- Edwardsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Edwardsville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- Grantley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Grantley is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantley
- Oak Level
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Level is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Ai
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ai is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ai
- Fruithurst
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Fruithurst is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruithurst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Micaville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Micaville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micaville
- Borden Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Borden Springs is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Springs
- Muscadine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Muscadine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscadine
- Hopewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hopewell is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Palestine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Palestine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Cobb City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Cobb City is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb City
- Brannon Springs ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brannon Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brannon Springs
- Markton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Markton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markton
- Glencoe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Pilgrims Rest
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pilgrims Rest is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrims Rest
- Hokes Bluff
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Banner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Banner is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
- Burns Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Burns Park is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Park
- Rainbow City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Gadsden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- East Gadsden is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gadsden
- Coato Bend ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Coato Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coato Bend
- Edwardsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Edwardsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Gadsden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Christiana
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Christiana is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christiana
- Milner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Milner is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milner
- Morrison Crossroad
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Morrison Crossroad is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison Crossroad
- Newell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Newell is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Ofelia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ofelia is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ofelia
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Ragland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Riverside
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Seddon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Seddon is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seddon
- Coal City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Coal City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Steele
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ashville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wattsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wattsville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Avondale Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
- Pell City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cropwell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Glen City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
- Whitney Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Easonville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Easonville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonville
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Coldwater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coldwater is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Silver Run
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Run is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Run
- Kentuck
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Kentuck is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Grant Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Grant Town is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
- Munford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- McElderry
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- McElderry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElderry
- Lincoln
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ironaton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ironaton is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironaton
- Colony
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colony is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Windsong Island
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Windsong Island is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsong Island
- Talladega
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Waldo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Waldo is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
- Chandler Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chandler Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler Springs
- Haralson County (GA)
- Tallapoosa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Polk County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Esom Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Greenway ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Greenway is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenway
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hillcrest, see our County-by-County Page for Hillcrest.
Cemeteries Near Hillcrest ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hillcrest.
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 Hillcrest - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hillcrest covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Prisoner of War Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Edgemont Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Ft. McClellan Military Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- New Hope Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Halls Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lloyds Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Westview Gardens Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fourmile Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Anniston Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Eden Hills Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hillside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Highland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (298 more) ...
- Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Alexandria Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<3>
While we didn't find Hillcrest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hillcrest.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hillcrest, with the one closest to Hillcrest listed first.
- Blue Mountain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Blue Mountain is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mountain
- Leatherwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Leatherwood is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Oxanna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Oxanna is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxanna
- Anniston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Alexandria
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Peaceburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Peaceburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceburg
- Bera ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bera is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bera
- Eulaton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eulaton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eulaton
- Oxford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- De Armanville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- De Armanville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Armanville
- Jacksonville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Morrisville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Morrisville is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisville
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Sulphur Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Choccolocco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Choccolocco is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choccolocco
- White Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- White Plains is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hillcrest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hillcrest.
Newspapers Published in Hillcrest ...
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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hillcrest.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hillcrest, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hillcrest.
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 Hillcrest:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Calhoun County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Clay County
- Cleburne County
- Etowah County
- Randolph County
- Saint Clair County
- Talladega County
- Haralson County
- Polk 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 Hillcrest, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hillcrest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |