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 Marvel (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 Marvel. 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 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.
Marvel is located in Bibb 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 Bibb County: Chilton, Hale, Jefferson, Perry, Shelby & Tuscaloosa.
Below are the counties that are near Marvel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Marvel:
- Bibb County (The home county of Marvel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Eddings
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Eddings is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Seymour
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Seymour is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
- Belle Ellen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Belle Ellen is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Ellen
- Nash Town ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Nash Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
- Italian Town
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Italian Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italian Town
- Blocton ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Blocton is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
- Bucktown ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Bucktown is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
- Corinne ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Corinne is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
- Burmah ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Burmah is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burmah
- West Blocton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Green Pond
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Jemison
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Thorsby
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Maplesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Jumbo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jumbo is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
- Adams
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Adams is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Stanton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Clanton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coosa County
- Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Kimbrell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kimbrell is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbrell
- Greenwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- McCalla
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Mobile Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Mobile Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile Junction
- Adger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bullard Shoals ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bullard Shoals is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard Shoals
- North Johns
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- North Johns is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Old Jonesboro
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Old Jonesboro is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Jonesboro
- Bessemer
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- New Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- New Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
- Blue Creek Junction
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Blue Creek Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek Junction
- Hueytown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lipscomb
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lipscomb is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipscomb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,110 people
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Bethlehem
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Oakmulgee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Jericho
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jericho is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Aden
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Aden is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aden
- Sawmill Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sawmill Town is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Town
- Montevallo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Tulse
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
- Wilton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wilton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
- Former names for Wilton:
- Birmingham Junction
- Bismarck
- Catoosa
- Woods
- Woodsborough
- Bamford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bamford is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Brantleyville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Brantleyville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantleyville
- Maylene
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Alabaster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Siluria
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Siluria is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
- Falliston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Falliston is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
- Helena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saginaw
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Saginaw is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Tannehill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
- Lake View
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lake View is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Vance
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Abernant
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Abernant is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernant
- Brookwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pearson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pearson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Coaling
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Coaling is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,633 people
- Hagler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hagler is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagler
- Kellerman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kellerman is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerman
- Bull City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
- Peterson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Peterson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterson
- Cottondale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Duncanville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Duncanville is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncanville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Marvel, see our County-by-County Page for Marvel.
Cemeteries Near Marvel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marvel.
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 Marvel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Marvel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- McKinney Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Antioch Cemetery #2
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Boothton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- McKensey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Linholm Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hebron Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Higganbotham Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Camp Branch Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Italian Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Shiney Rock Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (408 more) ...
- Cahaba Valley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Carlton Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Community Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<3>
While we didn't find Marvel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Marvel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Marvel, with the one closest to Marvel listed first.
- Anita
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Anita is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anita
- Boothton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Boothton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boothton
- Gurnee
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gurnee is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurnee
- Blocton ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Blocton is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
- Dogwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dogwood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
- Montevallo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Tulse
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
- Green Pond
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ashby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ashby is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Brierfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Maylene
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Tannehill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
- Bamford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bamford is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Blocton Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blocton Junction is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton Junction
- Blocton Junction has also been known as:
- Blockton Junc
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Marvel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Marvel.
Newspapers Published in Marvel ...
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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marvel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Marvel, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Marvel.
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 helpful 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 Marvel:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Bibb County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chilton County
- Coosa County
- Jefferson County
- Perry County
- Shelby County
- Tuscaloosa 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 Marvel, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Marvel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |