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 James (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 James. 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 James ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
While the name of this community is James, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So James may originally have been Jame's.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named James. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for James.
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 southeast 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 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.
James is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Chambers, Macon, Russell, Tallapoosa, Harris (GA) & Muscogee (GA).
Below are the counties that are near James. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to James:
- Lee County (The home county of James)
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Loachapoka
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgewood Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgewood Village is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- The Bottle
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- The Bottle is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Bottle
- Auburn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Roxana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roxana is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
- Gwen Mill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gwen Mill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwen Mill
- Opelika
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Chewacla
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Chewacla is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewacla
- Beauregard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Beauregard is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Marvyn
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Marvyn is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvyn
- Salem
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Prince Crossroads
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Prince Crossroads is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prince Crossroads
- Chambers County
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Waverly
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Waverly is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Blackman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Blackman is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackman
- Boyds
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Boyds is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyds
- Cusseta
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- LaFayette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Huguley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Huguley is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguley
- Osanippa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Osanippa is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osanippa
- Chapel Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Chapel Hill is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
- Penton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Penton is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penton
- Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Eady City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Eady City is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eady City
- Lanett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coosa County
- Fishpond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fishpond is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishpond
- Elmore County
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Tallassee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Irma ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Irma is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
- Kent
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jordan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Jordan is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Eclectic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Claud
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Claud is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claud
- Ware
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ware is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Central
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Central is located in Elmore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
- Hale County
- Erie ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Erie is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Notasulga
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty City is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
- Society Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Society Hill is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Society Hill
- Tuskegee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hornady
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hornady is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornady
- La Place
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- La Place is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Place
- Calebee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Calebee is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calebee
- Shorter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Armstrong
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Armstrong is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Fort Davis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hardaway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hardaway is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardaway
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Hugley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hugley is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugley
- Crawford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Crawford is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Hurtsboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hurtsboro is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
- Tallapoosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Church Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Church Hill is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Camp Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Agricola
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Agricola is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agricola
- Slaughters ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Slaughters is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughters
- Reeltown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Reeltown is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeltown
- Dadeville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Susannah ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Susannah is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susannah
- Tallapoosa City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Tallapoosa City is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallapoosa City
- Dudleyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Dudleyville is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudleyville
- Benson ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Benson is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- East Tallassee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- East Tallassee is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tallassee
- Jacksons' Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Troup County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- West Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- North West Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- North West Point is located in Troup County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North West Point
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to James, see our County-by-County Page for James.
Cemeteries Near James ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of James.
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 James - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for James covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Frank McGuire Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Loachapoka Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Level Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ridge Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Daniel - Caldwell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Westwood Drive Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rowells Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cherry Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Canaan Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Farmville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Farmville Cemetery is located in the vicinity of The Bottle
- Mt. Traveler MB Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (331 more) ...
- Waverly Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pine Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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 James in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of James.
These communities are listed based on their distance from James, with the one closest to James listed first.
- Loachapoka
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Auburn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Waverly
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Waverly is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Gold Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gold Hill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Roxana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roxana is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
- Notasulga
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Bowery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Bowery is located in Chambers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Bowery
- Mary
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mary is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mary
- Thornton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Thornton is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Church Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Church Hill is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Alliance
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alliance is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alliance
- Camp Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Opelika
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Agricola
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Agricola is located in Tallapoosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agricola
- Chewacla
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Chewacla is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewacla
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around James. See our List of 1890's Communities around James.
Newspapers Published in James ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around James.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of James, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for James.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 James:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Lee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chambers County
- Coosa County
- Elmore County
- Hale County
- Macon County
- Russell County
- Tallapoosa County
- Troup County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 James, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- James) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |