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 Indian Shoals (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 Indian Shoals. 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 Indian Shoals ...
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 Indian Shoals: Indian Shls.
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 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.
Indian Shoals 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 Indian Shoals. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Indian Shoals:
- Shelby County (The home county of Indian Shoals)
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Wilsonville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Columbiana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harpersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Merrell Beach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Merrell Beach is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrell Beach
- Pine Grove Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Village
- Shelby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Westover
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Westover is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,769 people
- Chelsea
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Calcis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Calcis is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcis
- Sterrett
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Vandiver
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Shoal Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shoal Creek is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Creek
- Pelham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bibb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Brierfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ashby
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ashby is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Oakley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oakley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Eddings
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Eddings is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
- Blount County
- Dale ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dale is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Jumbo
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Jumbo is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
- Jemison
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Thorsby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clanton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Hollins
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Hollins is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollins
- Chambers Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Chambers Springs is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambers Springs
- Coosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
- Stewartville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stewartville is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartville
- Weogufka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Weogufka is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weogufka
- Mount Olive
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Dollar
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dollar is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
- Goodwater
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rockford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hissop
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hissop is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hissop
- Kellyton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kellyton is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellyton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Pentonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pentonville is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentonville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cahaba Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Leeds
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Scott City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Scott City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott City
- Cahaba Landing
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cahaba Landing is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Landing
- Hoover
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Brook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vestavia Hills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lola City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lola City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola City
- McCombs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- McCombs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCombs
- Irondale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Brook Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Ridge
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Vincent
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Fountainrun ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fountainrun is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainrun
- Easonville ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Easonville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonville
- Woodland Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Woodland Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Brompton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Brompton is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brompton
- Cook's Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
- Moody
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Moody is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,292 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moody <1>
- Cropwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Glen City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Glen City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen City
- Pell City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Acmar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Acmar is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acmar
- Avondale Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Avondale Village is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale Village
- Parsons
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Parsons is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsons
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Fayetteville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
- Talladega Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Childersburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bon Air
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bon Air is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Comerdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Comerdale is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comerdale
- Oak Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 513 people
- Zubers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Zubers is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
- Gantts Quarry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
- Mignon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Mignon is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mignon
- Sylacauga
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Oldfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Oldfield is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- East Bend
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Bend is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
- Sycamore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Sycamore is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Indian Shoals, see our County-by-County Page for Indian Shoals.
Cemeteries Near Indian Shoals ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Indian Shoals.
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 Indian Shoals - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Indian Shoals covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Heaslet Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Wilsonville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Heaton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Old Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Kahatchee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Whitfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Crumpton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Farr Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Johnson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ft. Williams Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (402 more) ...
- Bradford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Holley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Wallace Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 Indian Shoals in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Indian Shoals.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Indian Shoals, with the one closest to Indian Shoals listed first.
- Wilsonville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Fayetteville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
- Talladega Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Childersburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Columbiana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Shelby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Zubers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Zubers is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
- Harpersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Marble Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Marble Valley is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble Valley
- Sylacauga
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Vincent
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Shelby Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shelby Springs is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Springs
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Oldfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Oldfield is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- East Bend
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Bend is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
- Gold Branch
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Gold Branch is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Branch
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Indian Shoals. See our List of 1890's Communities around Indian Shoals.
Newspapers Published in Indian Shoals ...
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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Indian Shoals.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Indian Shoals, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Indian Shoals.
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 Indian Shoals:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bibb County
- Blount County
- Chilton County
- Clay County
- Coosa County
- Jefferson County
- Saint Clair 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> | 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 Indian Shoals, 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' (or 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- Indian Shoals) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |