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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 Pinson (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 Pinson. 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.

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.

Pinson is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Bibb, Blount, Saint Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa & Walker.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Pinson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Palmerdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Crosston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Crosston is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosston
    • Center Point
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Chalkville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Grayson Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Grayson Valley is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson Valley
    • Clay
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Bradford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Village Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Village Springs is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village Springs
    • New Castle
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Masseyline
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Masseyline is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyline
    • Majestic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Majestic is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
    • Huffman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cahaba Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cahaba Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahaba Village
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Dale ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Dale is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Compton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • County Line
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Selfville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Selfville is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selfville
    • Remlap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dallas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Dallas is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Warrior
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Adville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Locust Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hayden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Little Warrior
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Smoke Rise
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Smoke Rise is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
    • Deavers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Deavers is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deavers
  • Cullman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Baltimore ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Baltimore is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
    • Black Bottom
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Arkadelphia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Colony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • The Colony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • The Colony is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
    • Garden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Damascus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hanceville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Bremen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dodge City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Dodge City is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
    • White City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • White City is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Good Hope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Good Hope is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,393 people
  • Etowah County
    • Nix ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Nix is located in Etowah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Argo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Argo is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
    • Parsons
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Acmar
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Margaret
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Turnbough Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
    • Moody
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodland Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodland Village is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Springville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Brompton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Branchville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Branchville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville
    • Odenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Saint Clair Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Cook's Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Dunnavant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunavant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bridgeton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Bridgeton is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Lake Purdy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lake Purdy is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Purdy
    • Shoal Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Vandiver
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Inverness
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Inverness is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inverness
    • Meadowbrook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Meadowbrook is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
    • Sterrett
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian Springs Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Indian Springs Village is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,628 people
    • Calcis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Chelsea
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Westover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Westover is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,769 people
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • East Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • East Bend is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bend
    • Logan Martin Dam
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Colony
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Colony is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
    • Windsong Island
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pinson, with the one closest to Pinson listed first.
    • Creel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Creel is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
    • Empire
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Sumiton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Black Warrior Town ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Black Warrior Town is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Warrior Town
    • Oakahalla
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Quinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Wyatt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Yerkwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Burnwell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Burnwell is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnwell
    • Dora
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Twilley Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Twilley Town is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilley Town
    • Sipsey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Red Star
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Red Star is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Star

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

Cemeteries Near Pinson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pinson.

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 Pinson - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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.<4>

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in Pinson ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pinson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pinson, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pinson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Pinson:

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>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.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Pinson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Pinson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.