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 Orrville (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 Orrville. 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 Orrville ...
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.
Another variation: Orville.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Orrville. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Orrville.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Orrville is located in Dallas 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 Dallas County: Autauga, Chilton, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Orrville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Orrville:
- Dallas County (The home county of Orrville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Crumptonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Crumptonia is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumptonia
- Safford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Harrell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Browns
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Central Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Central Mills is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Mills
- Sunset Mill Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sunset Mill Village is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Mill Village
- Selma
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sardis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Belknap
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Belknap is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
- Autauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Fremont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fremont is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
- Jones Bluff Dam
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jones Bluff Dam is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Bluff Dam
- Statesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Statesville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Jones
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jones is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Vine Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Newbern
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Newbern is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Prairieville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prairieville is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Gallion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gallion is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallion
- Rosemary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rosemary is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemary
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Benton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Benton is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Collirene
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Collirene is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collirene
- Petronia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Petronia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petronia
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Consul
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Consul is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Consul
- Flatwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Flatwood is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatwood
- Crenshaw ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Crenshaw is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Faunsdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Siddonsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Siddonsville is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsville
- Thomaston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Thomaston is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomaston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 383 people
- Dayton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dayton is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Tombigbee ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Tombigbee is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tombigbee
- Hugo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hugo is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
- Magnolia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Vineland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Vineland is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Suttle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Suttle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttle
- Vilula
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Augustin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Freetown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Ellawhite
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ellawhite is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellawhite
- The Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- The Village is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- Uniontown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Marion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Sprott
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Alberta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Alberta is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
- Rehoboth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rehoboth is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
- Gastonburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Boykin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Boykin is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Catherine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
- Millers Ferry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Millers Ferry is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Prairie Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Bluff
- Prairie Bluff has also been known as:
- Dale
- Daletown
- Bethel
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Camden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ackerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ackerville is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackerville
- Estelle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Estelle is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Lamison
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lamison is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamison
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Orrville, see our County-by-County Page for Orrville.
Cemeteries Near Orrville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orrville.
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 Orrville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Orrville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Orrville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Fulton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Barnes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Martins Station Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Providence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Watts Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Barnes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- New Vernon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (283 more) ...
- Vernon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rosehill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hardy Young Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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 Orrville had a population of 321 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Orrville had a population of 163 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Orrville, with the one closest to Orrville listed first.
- Hazen
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hazen is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazen
- Eleanor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eleanor is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
- Bogue Chitto
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bogue Chitto is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
- Crumptonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Crumptonia is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumptonia
- Tasso
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tasso is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tasso
- Safford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Harrell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Rehoboth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rehoboth is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
- King's Landing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- King's Landing is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King's Landing
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Portland ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Portland is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
- Browns
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Central Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Central Mills is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Mills
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Orrville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Orrville.
Newspapers Published in Orrville ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orrville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orrville, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orrville.
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 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 Orrville:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Dallas County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Hale County
- Lowndes County
- Marengo County
- Perry 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 Orrville, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Orrville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |