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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 Merrell Beach (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 Merrell Beach. 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.

Name Variations for Merrell Beach ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Merrell Beach: Merrell Bch.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Merrell Beach is located in Shelby County.

To see how the shape of Alabama's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Shelby County: Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Jefferson, Saint Clair & Talladega.

Below are the counties that are near Merrell Beach. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Merrell Beach:

  • Shelby County     (The home county of Merrell Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Pine Grove Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Grove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Village
      • Pine Grove Village is located in Shelby County
    • Shelby
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Columbiana
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilsonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Calera
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Saginaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saginaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
      • Saginaw is located in Shelby County
    • Chelsea
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Harpersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Westover
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,769 people
    • Siluria
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siluria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
      • Siluria is located in Shelby County
    • Montevallo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Maylene
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maylene have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maylene
      • Maylene is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maylene <2>
  • Autauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Marbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • White City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Autauga County
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Brierfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brierfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brierfield
      • Brierfield is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brierfield <2>
    • Oakley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
      • Oakley is located in Bibb County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oakley
      • From Merrell Beach to Oakley
    • Ashby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Randolph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tucker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eddings
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eddings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
      • Eddings is located in Bibb County
    • Lawley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cane Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
      • Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
    • Seymour
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seymour have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
      • Seymour is located in Bibb County
    • Active
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Active. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Active
      • Active is located in Bibb County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Active
      • From Merrell Beach to Active
  • Chilton County
  • Clay County
  • Coosa County
  • Elmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Lightwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Titus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Hoover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cahaba Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Vestavia Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cahaba Landing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Shannon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shannon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
      • Shannon is located in Jefferson County
    • Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
    • Homewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
      • Homewood is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homewood <2>
    • Mountain Brook Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Brook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Brook Village
      • Mountain Brook Village is located in Jefferson County
    • Mountain Brook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Brook
      • Mountain Brook is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,034 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Brook <2>
    • Oxmoor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Vincent
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Vincent is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vincent <2>
    • Fountainrun ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountainrun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainrun
      • Fountainrun is located in Saint Clair County
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.
    • Talladega Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fayetteville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Gantts Quarry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gantts Quarry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
      • Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
    • Oak Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Talladega County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 513 people
    • Childersburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Comerdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Sylacauga
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Bon Air
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bon Air have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
      • Bon Air is located in Talladega County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Mignon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mignon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mignon
      • Mignon is located in Talladega County
    • Zubers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oldfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oldfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
      • Oldfield is located in Talladega County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oldfield
      • From Merrell Beach to Oldfield
    • Sycamore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Sycamore is located in Talladega County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Merrell Beach, see our County-by-County Page for Merrell Beach.

Cemeteries Near Merrell Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merrell Beach.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Merrell Beach covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.

  • Blue Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Old Shelby Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Shelby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Shelby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gardens of Rest
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gardens of Rest
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gardens of Rest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Talladega Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Talladega Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Talladega Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ft. Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Good Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Good Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Good Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Williams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brasher Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brasher Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brasher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Marble Valley Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marble Valley Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Marble Valley Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crumpton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crumpton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crumpton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Armstrong Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Armstrong Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Armstrong Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (430 more) ...
    • Columbiana Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Columbiana Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Columbiana Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pine Lawn Gardens Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Lawn Gardens Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Lawn Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Verchot Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Verchot Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Verchot Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

While we didn't find Merrell Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merrell Beach.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Merrell Beach, with the one closest to Merrell Beach listed first.

  • Shelby
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Marble Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble Valley
    • Marble Valley is located in Coosa County
  • Talladega Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fayetteville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Columbiana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jumbo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jumbo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
    • Jumbo is located in Chilton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Jumbo
    • From Merrell Beach to Jumbo
  • Shelby Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Springs
    • Shelby Springs is located in Shelby County
  • Quinsey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quinsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinsey
    • Quinsey is located in Coosa County
  • Gold Branch
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gold Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Branch
    • Gold Branch is located in Coosa County
  • Wilsonville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Weogufka
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Calera
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • South Calera
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Calera have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Calera
      • South Calera is located in Shelby County
    • Jemison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Dollar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dollar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
      • Dollar is located in Coosa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dollar
      • From Merrell Beach to Dollar

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Merrell Beach. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merrell Beach.

Newspapers Published in Merrell Beach ...

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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merrell Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merrell Beach, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merrell Beach.

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 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 Merrell Beach:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Merrell Beach. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Shelby County: www.shelbycountyalabama.com/

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Merrell Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Merrell Beach) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merrell Beach. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.0916, Longitude: -86.5240    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025