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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.
Salem is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa & Walker.
Below are the counties that are near Salem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Salem:
- Fayette County (The home county of Salem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Alta
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Alta is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Berry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Bankston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bankston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Rossland City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Rossland City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
- Bazemore
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bazemore is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazemore
- Fayette
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Old Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Old Town is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Glen Allen
(21 miles [33.8 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
- Belk
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Belk is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Kirkland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kirkland is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
- Ashcraft Corner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ashcraft Corner is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcraft Corner
- Bluff
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bluff is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Black Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Black Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Toadvine
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Toadvine is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toadvine
- Short Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Short Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Creek
- West Jefferson
(24 miles [38.6 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Media is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Ezra
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ezra is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ezra
- Oak Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Rock Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Sylvan Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Robbins Crossroads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Robbins Crossroads is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbins Crossroads
- Alden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Alden is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Lamar County
- Kennedy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brilliant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Twin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Twin is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
- Yampertown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Yampertown is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yampertown
- Pickens County
- Lubbub
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- New Lexington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Lexington is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Samantha
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Samantha is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samantha
- Bull City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
- Kellerman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kellerman is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerman
- Lake Front Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lake Front Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Front Village
- Echola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Echola is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echola
- Wood Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wood Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Village
- Holt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Holt is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
- Walker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Corona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Corona is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
- Patton Junction ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Patton Junction is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Junction
- Patton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Patton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Oakman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- 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 <1>
- Coal Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coal Valley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Townley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Townley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
- Parrish
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Parrish is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
- America
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- America is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for America
- Carbon Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Goodsprings
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Goodsprings is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodsprings
- Kansas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Kansas is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- Gamble
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gamble is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamble
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Farriss
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Farriss is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farriss
- Lynn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lynn is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Falls City ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Falls City is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
- Natural Bridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Salem, see our County-by-County Page for Salem.
Cemeteries Near Salem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.
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 Salem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Salem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Salem Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- New Salem Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Gibson Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cedar Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Boley Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Frost Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Alta Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Pendley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Infant Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pendley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Beaven Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Madison Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (526 more) ...
- Pendley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Union Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Earnest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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>
While we didn't find Salem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Salem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Alta
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Alta is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Corona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Corona is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
- Patton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Patton is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Berry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Coal Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coal Valley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Bankston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bankston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Wiley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wiley is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
- Townley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Townley is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townley
- New Lexington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Lexington is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Parrish
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Parrish is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
- Carbon Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Stough
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Stough is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stough
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Kansas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Kansas is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- Jasper
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gamble
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gamble is located in Walker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamble
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Salem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Salem.
Newspapers Published in Salem ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Salem:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Fayette County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Jefferson County
- Lamar County
- Marion County
- Pickens County
- Tuscaloosa County
- Walker County
- Winston 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 Salem, 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 from Point A (ie- Salem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |