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 Sterling (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 Sterling. 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 Sterling ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Mount Sterling: Mt. Sterling
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Mount Sterling. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Mount Sterling.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Mount Sterling is located in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County: Clarke, Marengo, Sumter, Washington, Clarke (MS), Lauderdale (MS) & Wayne (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Mount Sterling. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mount Sterling:
- Choctaw County (The home county of Mount Sterling)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Butler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lavaca
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lavaca is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavaca
- Red Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Red Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
- Choctaw City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Choctaw City is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw City
- Lisman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lisman is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Jachin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jachin is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jachin
- Pennington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pennington is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
- Tompkinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Cromwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cromwell is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
- Needham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Needham is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
- Pelham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Pelham is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Pushmataha
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pushmataha is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pushmataha
- Toxey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Toxey is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Morvin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Morvin is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morvin
- Campbell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- West Bend
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- West Bend is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bend
- Glover
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Glover is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glover
- Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fakit Chipunta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fakit Chipunta
- Coffeeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Thomasville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Atkeison
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Atkeison is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkeison
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Barrons ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Barrons is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrons
- Putnam
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Nanafalia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Aimwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Aimwell is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aimwell
- Half Acre
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Half Acre is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Acre
- Former names for Half Acre:
- Hell's Half Acre
- Luther's Store
- Myrtlewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtlewood is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtlewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
- Sweet Water
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sweet Water is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Water
- Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
- Beckleys ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Beckleys is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckleys
- Moss ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Moss is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss
- Blue Lock ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Blue Lock is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Lock
- Griffins ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Griffins is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins
- Dixon's Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Dixon's Mills is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon's Mills
- Linden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Derby
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Derby is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Kinterbish
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Kinterbish is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinterbish
- Ward
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ward is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Whitfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Whitfield is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitfield
- Intercourse
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Intercourse is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intercourse
- Bellamy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bellamy is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellamy
- Cuba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cuba is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
- Arrington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Arrington is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrington
- Coatopa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- York
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- York is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,218 people
- Former names for York:
- New York Station
- York Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for York <1>
- Brewersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Brewersville is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewersville
- Washington County
- Frankville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Frankville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Clarke County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Junction City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Junction City is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Gin ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gin is located in Clarke County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin
- Lauderdale County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Whynot
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whynot is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whynot
- Increase
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Increase is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Increase
- Increase has also been known as:
- Causeyville
- Vimville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vimville is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
- Smith
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Smith is located in Lauderdale County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Wayne County (MS)
- Matherville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Matherville is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mount Sterling, see our County-by-County Page for Mount Sterling.
Cemeteries Near Mount Sterling ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mount Sterling.
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 Sterling - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mount Sterling covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Canathan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Spencer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- White Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lily Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Butler City Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Wesley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Marvin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sykes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Red House Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Morning Star Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (230 more) ...
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cedar Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bush Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Mount Sterling had a population of 185 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mount Sterling, with the one closest to Mount Sterling listed first.
- Butler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ararat
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ararat is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
- Robjohn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Robjohn is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robjohn
- Putnam
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Nanafalia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Nanafalia is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanafalia
- Lusk
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lusk is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
- Tompkinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tompkinsville is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkinsville
- Morvin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Morvin is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morvin
- Pushmataha
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pushmataha is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pushmataha
- Cunningham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Cunningham is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Campbell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Campbell is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Aimwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Aimwell is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aimwell
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Womack Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Womack Hill is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack Hill
- Nicholsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Nicholsville is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholsville
- Myrtlewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Myrtlewood is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtlewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mount Sterling. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mount Sterling.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mount Sterling ...
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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mount Sterling.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mount Sterling. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mount Sterling and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mount Sterling.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> of Mount Sterling.
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 Sterling:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Choctaw County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clarke County
- Marengo County
- Sumter County
- Washington County
- Clarke County
- Lauderdale County
- Wayne 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 Sterling, 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- Mount Sterling) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |