Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Mountain Valley. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Mountain Valley to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Mountain Valley, please Contact Us.
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 Mountain Valley (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 Mountain Valley. 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 Mountain Valley ...
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 Mountain Valley: Mountain Vly. (or less commonly used: Mountain Vally. or Mountain Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Mountain Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Mountain Valley.
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.
Although our information shows that the community of Mountain Valley is historic, it would have been located within present day Walker 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 Walker County: Blount, Cullman, Fayette, Jefferson, Marion, Tuscaloosa & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Mountain Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mountain Valley:
- Walker County (The home county of Mountain Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Oakman
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Oakman is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
- Former names for Oakman:
- Day's Gap
- Marietta
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakman <2>
- Coal Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Coal Valley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Corona
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Corona is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
- Patton Junction ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Patton Junction is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Junction
- Patton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Patton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Parrish
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Parrish is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
- Townley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Townley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
- America
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- America is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for America
- Jasper
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Gamble
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gamble is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamble
- Saragossa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Saragossa is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saragossa
- Goodsprings
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Goodsprings is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodsprings
- Blount County
- Red Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Red Hill is located in Blount County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Cullman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Ardell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ardell is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardell
- Arkadelphia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Arkadelphia is located in Cullman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkadelphia
- Bremen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crane Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Alta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alta is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Berry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bankston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bankston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Bazemore
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bazemore is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazemore
- Rossland City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Rossland City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
- Glen Allen
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Glen Allen is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Allen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 480 people
- Fayette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Old Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Old Town is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Bluff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bluff is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- Kirkland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Kirkland is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- West Jefferson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- West Jefferson is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jefferson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 415 people
- Media
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Media is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Black Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Black Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Short Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Short Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Creek
- Toadvine
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Toadvine is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toadvine
- Robbins Crossroads
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Robbins Crossroads is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbins Crossroads
- Sayre
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sayre is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayre
- Ezra
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ezra is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ezra
- Oak Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Alden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alden is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
- Graysville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rock Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Rock City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rock City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Winfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brilliant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- New Lexington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- New Lexington is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Bull City
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
- Samantha
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Samantha is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samantha
- Kellerman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Kellerman is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerman
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Falls City ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Falls City is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
- Farriss
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Farriss is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farriss
- Lynn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Slick Ford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Slick Ford is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slick Ford
- Arley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Double Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Natural Bridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Houston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Glen Mary
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Glen Mary is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Mary
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mountain Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Mountain Valley.
Cemeteries Near Mountain Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mountain Valley.
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 Mountain Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mountain Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Swindle Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Oakman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- New Hope Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Morris Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Key Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Day Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Patton Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Infant Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Providence Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tubbs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lawson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (528 more) ...
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Fike & Inman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
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.
While we didn't find Mountain Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mountain Valley.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mountain Valley, with the one closest to Mountain Valley listed first.
- Coal Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Coal Valley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Corona
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Corona is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
- Patton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Patton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Townley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Townley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
- Parrish
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Parrish is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
- Alta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alta is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Jasper
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saragossa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Saragossa is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saragossa
- Gamble
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gamble is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamble
- Edgil
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Edgil is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgil
- Cordova
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Carbon Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Berry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Prospect
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Prospect is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- South Lowell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Lowell is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lowell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mountain Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mountain Valley.
Newspapers Published in Mountain Valley ...
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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mountain Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mountain Valley, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mountain Valley.
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 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 Mountain Valley:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Walker County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blount County
- Cullman County
- Fayette County
- Jefferson County
- Marion County
- Tuscaloosa County
- Winston County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Alabama
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Mountain Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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- Mountain Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |