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 Rutan (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 Rutan. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Rutan is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Greene (MS) & Wayne (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Rutan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rutan:
- Washington County (The home county of Rutan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Hobson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hobson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
- Chatom
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tibbie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tibbie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbie
- Seaboard
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Seaboard is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaboard
- Bassetts Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bassetts Creek is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassetts Creek
- Wagarville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Hawthorn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hawthorn is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
- Saint Stephen's
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sunflower
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Sunflower is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Barlow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barlow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Bigbee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bigbee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Leroy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Leroy is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Baldwin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Blacksher
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
- Tensaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Bladon Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Cullomburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Silas
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Aquilla
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Aquilla is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Bolinger
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bolinger is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolinger
- Souwilpa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
- Womack Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Womack Hill is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack Hill
- Isney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Isney is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
- Emory
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Emory is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Salitpa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Stave Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
- Jackson
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rockville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Rockville is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Carlton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Winn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Winn is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fakit Chipunta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fakit Chipunta
- Toddtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Toddtown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
- Coffeeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Walker Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Alma
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alma is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Zimco
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Zimco is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimco
- Mobile County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Calvert
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Citronelle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Mount Vernon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Movico
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Movico is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Movico
- Chastang
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chastang is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
- Gulfcrest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Gulfcrest is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulfcrest
- Monroe County
- Mount Pleasant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Greene County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- State Line
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- State Line is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
- Clark
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clark is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Carson City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Carson City is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
- Brown Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brown Town is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Leakesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wayne County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Robinsons Junction
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Robinsons Junction is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsons Junction
- Chicora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Chicora is located in Wayne County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicora
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rutan, see our County-by-County Page for Rutan.
Cemeteries Near Rutan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rutan.
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 Rutan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rutan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Richardson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Rutan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Pine Level Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fairhope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Howard Town Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Turner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Tibbie Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Old Methodist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chalker Memorial Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Reynolds Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Spring Bank Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (250 more) ...
- Washington Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Stoker Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Yarbo Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
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 Rutan in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rutan.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rutan, with the one closest to Rutan listed first.
- Saint Stephen's
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sunflower
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Sunflower is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Wagar
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wagar is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagar
- Bigbee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bigbee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Koenton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Koenton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koenton
- Carson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Carson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
- Millry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Frankville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Frankville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Yellow Pine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Yellow Pine is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
- Escatawpa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Escatawpa is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escatawpa
- Vinegar Bend
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vinegar Bend is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinegar Bend
- Sims Chapel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- McIntosh
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Healing Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Salitpa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rutan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rutan.
Newspapers Published in Rutan ...
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 Rutan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rutan, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rutan.
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 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 Rutan:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baldwin County
- Choctaw County
- Clarke County
- Mobile County
- Monroe County
- Greene 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 Rutan, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rutan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |