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 Key (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 Key. 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 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.
Key is located in Cherokee 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 Cherokee County: Calhoun, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Chattooga (GA), Floyd (GA) & Polk (GA).
Below are the counties that are near Key. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Key:
- Cherokee County (The home county of Key)
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Noah
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Noah is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noah
- Tucker Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tucker Crossroads is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Crossroads
- Exie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Exie is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exie
- Howells Crossroads
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Howells Crossroads is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howells Crossroads
- Howells Crossroads has also been known as:
- Howells Cross Roads
- Rock Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Run is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Moshat
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Kirk's Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kirk's Grove is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirk's Grove
- Grantville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grantville is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
- Cedar Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Centre
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lawrence
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lawrence is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Goshen ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goshen is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Dailey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Dailey is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
- Piedmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Collins ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Collins is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Nances Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Nances Creek is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nances Creek
- Adelia ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Adelia is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelia
- Colvins Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colvins Gap is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colvins Gap
- Merrellton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Merrellton is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrellton
- Abernathy ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Abernathy is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernathy
- Germania Springs ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Germania Springs is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germania Springs
- Jacksonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Angel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Angel is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
- Cleburne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Borden Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Borden Springs is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Springs
- Palestine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Palestine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Grantley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Grantley is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantley
- Oak Level
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Oak Level is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Fruithurst
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Fruithurst is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruithurst
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Muscadine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Muscadine is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscadine
- Edwardsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Edwardsville is located in Cleburne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Lickskillet
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lickskillet is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Mount Vernon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Vernon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Sigsbee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sigsbee is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigsbee
- Dog Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dog Town is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Town
- Adamsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Adamsburg is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsburg
- Collinsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Douglas
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Douglas is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Cotnam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cotnam is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotnam
- Fort Payne
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clyde ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Clyde is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Dawson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dawson is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Marcus ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marcus is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
- Etowah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Banner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Banner is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
- Ballplay
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Ballplay is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballplay
- Hale ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Hale is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hale
- Coato Bend ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Coato Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coato Bend
- Hokes Bluff
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Coat's Bend
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Coat's Bend is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coat's Bend
- Turkeytown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Turkeytown is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkeytown
- Wilsonia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Wilsonia is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonia
- Anderson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Anderson is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Edwardsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Edwardsville is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsville
- Keener
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Keener is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keener
- Burns Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Burns Park is located in Etowah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Park
- Bartow County (GA)
- Ligon ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Ligon is located in Bartow County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ligon
- Estimated population in 2019: 12,810 people
- Chattooga County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Chattoogaville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Chattoogaville is located in Chattooga County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattoogaville
- Taliaferro ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Taliaferro is located in Chattooga County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taliaferro
- Estimated population in 2019: 71 people
- Lyerly
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Berryton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Berryton is located in Chattooga County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryton
- Menlo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Menlo is located in Chattooga County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menlo <1>
- Cloudland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Summerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pennville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pennville is located in Chattooga County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennville
- Floyd County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Cave Spring
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Coosa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oreburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oreburg is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oreburg
- Robealou Acres
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Robealou Acres is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robealou Acres
- Estimated population in 2019: 973 people
- Atlanta Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Atlanta Junction is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta Junction
- Brice
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Brice is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brice
- Lindale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Silver Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Rosemont Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rosemont Park is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemont Park
- Chiaha ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Chiaha is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiaha
- Estimated population in 2019: 3,256 people
- Mount Berry
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Rome
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Rome is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,764 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rome <1>
- Haralson County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Felton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Buchanan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tabernacle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tabernacle is located in Haralson County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
- Tallapoosa
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Budapest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Budapest is located in Haralson County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Budapest
- Polk County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Etna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Etna is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Estimated population in 2019: 902 people
- Esom Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Greenway ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Greenway is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenway
- Cedartown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Grady ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Grady is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Estimated population in 2019: 290 people
- Seney
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Seney is located in Polk County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seney
- Estimated population in 2019: 4,412 people
- Aragon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rockmart
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Key, see our County-by-County Page for Key.
Cemeteries Near Key ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Key.
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 Key - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Key covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Hebron Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Friendship Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Noah Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sheepskin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Nazareth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Fife Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Moshat Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Howell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (401 more) ...
- Calcedonia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Howell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ebenezer Alexis 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Key had a population of 39 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Key, with the one closest to Key listed first.
- Noah
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Noah is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noah
- Bomar
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bomar is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomar
- Exie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Exie is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exie
- Forney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Forney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
- Coloma ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Coloma is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Alexis
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Alexis is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexis
- Moshat
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Moshat is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moshat
- Pleasant Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Gap is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Gap
- Kirk's Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kirk's Grove is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirk's Grove
- Waterhouse
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Waterhouse is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterhouse
- Rock Run Station
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Rock Run Station is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run Station
- Bluffton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bluffton is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Cedar Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Melson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Melson is located in Floyd County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melson
- Grantville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grantville is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Key. See our List of 1890's Communities around Key.
Newspapers Published in Key ...
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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Key.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Key, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Key.
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 Key:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Cherokee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Cleburne County
- DeKalb County
- Etowah County
- Bartow County
- Chattooga County
- Floyd 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> | 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 Key, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Key) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |