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 Loretto (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 Loretto. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Loretto is located in Cullman 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 Cullman County: Blount, Lawrence, Marshall, Morgan, Walker & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Loretto. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Loretto:
- Cullman County (The home county of Loretto)
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Trimble
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Trimble is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
- Dodge City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dodge City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
- Good Hope
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Good Hope is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,393 people
- Bremen
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Damascus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Damascus is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Logan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hanceville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- White City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- White City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Cullman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Black Bottom
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Black Bottom is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Bottom
- Colony
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Estimated population in 2015: 273 people
- The Colony
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- The Colony is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Crane Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Blount County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Bangor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Blount Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blount Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blount Springs
- Reid's
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Reid's is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid's
- Smoke Rise
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Smoke Rise is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
- Gum Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Gum Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Springs
- Red Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Red Hill is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Hayden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mountain Grove is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- Blountsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Nectar
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Nectar is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Warrior
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Cleveland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Adville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Adville is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Corner is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corner
- Trafford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Kimberly
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Morris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Morris is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,182 people
- Robbins Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Robbins Crossroads is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbins Crossroads
- Majestic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Majestic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
- Masseyline
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
- Sayre
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Sayre is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayre
- Bradford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bradford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Crosston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Crosston is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosston
- Village Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
- Mount Olive
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Palmerdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Palmerdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmerdale
- Lawrence County
- Oakville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oakville is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Hog Jaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hog Jaw is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Jaw
- Pine Lake Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Lake Village is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake Village
- Ruth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Arab
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Askea Grove is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askea Grove
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Lacon
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lacon is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
- Cedar Plains
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cedar Plains is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Plains
- Falkville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Eva
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Leesdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Leesdale is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesdale
- Hulaco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hulaco is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulaco
- Hartselle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ryan Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ryan Crossroads is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan Crossroads
- Danville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Florette
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Florette is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florette
- Somerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Somerville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Apple Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Apple Grove is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Walker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Powellville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Powellville is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Marylee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Marylee is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marylee
- Burrows Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Burrows Crossroads is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrows Crossroads
- Creel
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Creel is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
- Empire
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Empire is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- Black Warrior Town ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Black Warrior Town is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Warrior Town
- Red Rock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Red Rock is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Sipsey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sipsey is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipsey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
- Sumiton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Sumiton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumiton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,330 people
- Former names for Sumiton:
- Commercial
- Democrat
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumiton <1>
- South Lowell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- South Lowell is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lowell
- Camak Mills ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Camak Mills is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camak Mills
- Dora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burnwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Burnwell is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnwell
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Arley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Addison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Upshaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Upshaw is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upshaw
- Houston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Slick Ford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Slick Ford is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slick Ford
- Falls City ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Falls City is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
- Ellaville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ellaville is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellaville
- Grayson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Grayson is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- Double Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Loretto, see our County-by-County Page for Loretto.
Cemeteries Near Loretto ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Loretto.
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 Loretto - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Loretto covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Valley Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Beech Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sharon Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brushy Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Good Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shedd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bowmans Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Kinneys Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hartwic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bethsaida Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ryans Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (497 more) ...
- Shelton Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mountain Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Prospect 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.<3>
While we didn't find Loretto in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Loretto.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
- Trimble
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Trimble is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
- Bremen
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Phelan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Phelan is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelan
- Logan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Baldwin is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Cullman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Crane Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Garden City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Garden City is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Ardell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ardell is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardell
- Arkadelphia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Arkadelphia is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkadelphia
- Blount Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Blount Springs is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blount Springs
- Bangor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bangor is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Jones' Chapel
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jones' Chapel is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones' Chapel
- Reid's
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Reid's is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid's
- Nesmith
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Nesmith is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesmith
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Loretto. See our List of 1890's Communities around Loretto.
Newspapers Published in Loretto ...
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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Loretto.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Loretto, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Loretto.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Loretto:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Cullman County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- Marshall County
- Morgan County
- Walker County
- Winston 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 Loretto, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Loretto) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |