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 Joy (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 Joy. 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.
Joy 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 Joy. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Joy:
- Blount County (The home county of Joy)
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Gum Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gum Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
- Mountain Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mountain Grove is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- Blountsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cleveland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nectar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Nectar is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Royal
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Royal is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Deavers
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Deavers is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
- Rosa
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rosa is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
- Huldah ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Huldah is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huldah
- Little Warrior
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Bangor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Cullman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Garden City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Hanceville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Baileytown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Baileytown is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileytown
- Holly Pond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- White City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- White City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Berlin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- East Point
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Point is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
- Simcoe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Simcoe is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simcoe
- Baileyton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Black Bottom
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Black Bottom is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bottom
- Damascus
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Damascus is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Dodge City
(15 miles [24.1 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
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Altoona
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Nix ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Nix is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
- Walnut Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
- Clear Springs ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Clear Springs is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
- Gallant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Gallant is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallant
- Aurora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Aurora is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Howelton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Howelton is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howelton
- Greer ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Greer is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greer
- Benson ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Benson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- Egypt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Egypt is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Ivalee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ivalee is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivalee
- Mountainboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mountainboro is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountainboro
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Trafford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Masseyline
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
- Village Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
- Bradford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bradford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Palmerdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Palmerdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerdale
- Ayres
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ayres is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayres
- Majestic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Majestic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
- Kimberly
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Crosston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Crosston is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosston
- Morris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Morris is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,182 people
- Clay
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Pinson
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Big Spring ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Big Spring is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Bowen ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bowen is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Askea Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askea Grove
- Douglas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Douglas is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
- Reedbrake ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Reedbrake is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedbrake
- Arab
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hog Jaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hog Jaw is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Jaw
- Hyatt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hyatt is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyatt
- Pine Lake Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pine Lake Village is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake Village
- Horton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Horton is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Ruth
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ruth is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Bartlett ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bartlett is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Hulaco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Hulaco is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulaco
- Ryan Crossroads
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Ryan Crossroads is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan Crossroads
- Eva
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Apple Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Apple Grove is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Florette
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Florette is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florette
- Lacon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lacon is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
- Falkville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Briscoe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Briscoe is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briscoe
- Leesdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leesdale is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesdale
- Morgan City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Springville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Whitney Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Whitney Junction is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney Junction
- Saint Clair Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Clair Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair Springs
- Steele
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Argo
(24 miles [38.6 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
- Ashville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Margaret
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
- Branchville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
- Odenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Parsons
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Parsons is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsons
- Acmar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Acmar is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acmar
- Walker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Creel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Creel is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
- Empire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Empire is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- Powellville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Powellville is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Black Warrior Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Black Warrior Town is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Warrior Town
- Sipsey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sipsey is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipsey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Joy, see our County-by-County Page for Joy.
Cemeteries Near Joy ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Joy.
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 Joy - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Joy covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Fowler Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Curl Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Joy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Blackwood - Cornelius Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Blountsville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Blackwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mulberry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Greens Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (401 more) ...
- Graves Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Guinns Cove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chitwood 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Joy had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
- Gum Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gum Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
- Cleveland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blountsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Walter
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Walter is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walter
- Garden City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Royal
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Royal is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Bangor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Little Warrior
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Little Warrior is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Warrior
- Huldah ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Huldah is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huldah
- Tappan ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tappan is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tappan
- Holly Pond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Adville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Adville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adville
- Oneonta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chepultepec
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Chepultepec is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepultepec
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Joy. See our List of 1890's Communities around Joy.
Newspapers Published in Joy ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Joy.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Joy, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Joy.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Joy:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Blount County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cullman County
- Etowah County
- Jefferson County
- Marshall County
- Morgan County
- Saint Clair County
- Walker 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> | 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 Joy, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Joy) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |