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 Kirk (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 Kirk. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Kirk is located in Pickens 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 Pickens County: Fayette, Greene, Lamar, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Lowndes (MS) & Noxubee (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Kirk. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Kirk:
- Pickens County (The home county of Kirk)
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Gordo
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Stansel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stansel is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stansel
- Benevola
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Benevola is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benevola
- Olney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Olney is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
- Reform
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Carrollton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Carrollton is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Lubbub
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Coal Fire
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Fire is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fire
- McShan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- McShan is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McShan
- Aliceville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- McMullen
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- McMullen is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMullen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9 people
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Ashcraft Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ashcraft Corner is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcraft Corner
- Belk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Belk is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Fayette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rossland City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rossland City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Mantua
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mantua is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
- Lewiston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lewiston is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
- Union
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Union is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Knoxville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Knoxville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- Clinton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Clinton is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- West Greene
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- West Greene is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Greene
- Eutaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Moundville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Powers
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Powers is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
- Oak Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Oak Village is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Village
- Akron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Phipps ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Phipps is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phipps
- Lamar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Kennedy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Millport
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fernbank
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fernbank is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernbank
- Sumter County
- Panola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Panola is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Elrod
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Elrod is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
- Buhl
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Buhl is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buhl
- Echola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Echola is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echola
- Coker
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Foster's
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ralph
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Northport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Ingleside Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Ingleside Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside Village
- Lake Front Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lake Front Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Front Village
- Sahama Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sahama Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sahama Village
- Tuscaloosa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Samantha
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Samantha is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samantha
- Lowndes County (MS)
- New Hope
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Noxubee County (MS)
- Ravine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Ravine is located in Noxubee County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravine
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Kirk, see our County-by-County Page for Kirk.
Cemeteries Near Kirk ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kirk.
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 Kirk - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Kirk covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Flatwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Center Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Liberty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jordan Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elmore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Salem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Pleasant Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Backbone Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Old Trinity Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Linebarge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (496 more) ...
- Corinth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Wilburn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Arbor Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<2>
While we didn't find Kirk in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Kirk.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Kirk, with the one closest to Kirk listed first.
- Gordo
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Bell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Benevola
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Benevola is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benevola
- Romulus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Romulus is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
- Olney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Olney is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
- Coker
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Dillburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dillburg is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillburg
- Reform
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mantua
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mantua is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
- Lubbub
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Lewiston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lewiston is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Sylvan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sylvan is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
- Foster's
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Moore's Bridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Moore's Bridge is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore's Bridge
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Kirk. See our List of 1890's Communities around Kirk.
Newspapers Published in Kirk ...
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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kirk.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Kirk, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Kirk.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Kirk:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Pickens County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Hale County
- Lamar County
- Sumter County
- Tuscaloosa County
- Lowndes County
- Noxubee 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 Kirk, 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- Kirk) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |