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 Mount Olive (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 Mount Olive. 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 Mount Olive ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Mount Olive: Mt. Olive
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Mount Olive. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Mount Olive.
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 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.
Mount Olive is located in Butler 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 Butler County: Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Lowndes, Monroe & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Mount Olive. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mount Olive:
- Butler County (The home county of Mount Olive)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Garland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Starlington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Starlington is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starlington
- McKenzie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Georgiana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chapman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chapman is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Industry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Industry is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Shacklesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Shacklesville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shacklesville
- Bolling
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bolling is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolling
- Oaky Streak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Oaky Streak is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaky Streak
- Forest Home
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Greenville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Conecuh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Wilcox
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Wilcox is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
- Owassa
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Owassa is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owassa
- Commerce
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Commerce is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Rabb
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Rabb is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabb
- Mixonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mixonville is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixonville
- Old Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Old Town is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Evergreen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Centerville is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Mount Union
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Union is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Jay Villa ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jay Villa is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay Villa
- Sparta ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sparta is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Sparta has also been known as:
- Old Sparta
- Nymph
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Nymph is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nymph
- Ramah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Ramah is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramah
- Covington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Red Level
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Red Level is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- River Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- River Falls is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
- Gantt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Gantt is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- Heath
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Heath is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Andalusia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Carolina
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Carolina is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
- Crenshaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Leon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Leon is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Merrill Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Merrill Mill is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill Mill
- Dozier
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Pine Orchard
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pine Orchard is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Burnt Corn
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Burnt Corn is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Corn
- Pineville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pineville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineville
- Beatrice
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Tunnel Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tunnel Springs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel Springs
- Former name for Tunnel Springs:
- Kempsville
- Peterman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Peterman is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterman
- Lovan ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lovan is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovan
- Natchez
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Natchez is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natchez
- Buena Vista
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Monroeville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Excel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Excel is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
- Ollie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ollie is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ollie
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Awin
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Awin is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Awin
- Pine Apple
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Apple is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Apple
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- McWilliams
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Schuster
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Schuster is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schuster
- Caledonia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Caledonia is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Oak Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Hill is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Furman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Furman is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furman
- McBrydes
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- McBrydes is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBrydes
- Snow Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Snow Hill is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mount Olive, see our County-by-County Page for Mount Olive.
Cemeteries Near Mount Olive ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mount Olive.
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 Mount Olive - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mount Olive covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Garland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pressley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Maye Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive West Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- McClure Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Joyner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Little Pine Level Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Second Mt. Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Walker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Sellers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stamps Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jones Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (220 more) ...
- Hall Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Friendship Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Mount Olive in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mount Olive.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mount Olive, with the one closest to Mount Olive listed first.
- Garland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Wilcox
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Wilcox is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
- Starlington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Starlington is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starlington
- Georgiana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bowles
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bowles is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowles
- Commerce
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Commerce is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Chapman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chapman is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Evergreen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Shell is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell
- Industry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Industry is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Bolling
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bolling is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolling
- Shacklesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Shacklesville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shacklesville
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Mount Union
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Union is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Skinnerton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Skinnerton is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skinnerton
- Jay Villa ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jay Villa is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay Villa
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mount Olive. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mount Olive.
Newspapers Published in Mount Olive ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mount Olive.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mount Olive, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mount Olive.
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 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 Mount Olive:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Butler County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Conecuh County
- Covington County
- Crenshaw County
- Monroe County
- Wilcox 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 Mount Olive, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Mount Olive) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |