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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 Sand Rock (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 Sand Rock. 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 Sand Rock ...

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.

Another variation: Sandrock.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sand Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sand Rock.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Sand Rock is primarily located in Cherokee County. A portion of Sand Rock extends into DeKalb 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 Cherokee County: Calhoun, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Chattooga (GA), Floyd (GA) & Polk (GA).

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

  • Cherokee County     (The home county of Sand Rock)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Collins ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Collins is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
    • Colvins Gap
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Goshen ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Goshen is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
    • Adelia ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Adelia is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelia
    • Piedmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Douthrittville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Douthrittville is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douthrittville
    • Dailey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Mack ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Mack is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
    • Merrellton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Oak Level
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Germania Springs ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Germania Springs is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germania Springs
    • Nances Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Cleburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Borden Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Borden Springs is located in Cleburne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Springs
    • Palestine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Grantley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Mount Vernon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Mount Vernon is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
    • Collinsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Dog Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Dog Town is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Town
    • Lickskillet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sigsbee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sigsbee is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigsbee
    • Dawson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Clyde ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Clyde is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Cotnam
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Douglas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Douglas is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
    • Adamsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Marcus ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Marcus is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
    • Bootsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Etowah County
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Rock City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rock City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
    • Dutton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Section
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Langston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ferncliff ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Ferncliff is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferncliff
    • Central
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Gray ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Gray is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
    • Pisgah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Dodsonville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Dodsonville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodsonville
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Peters ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Peters is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters
    • Boaz
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hustleville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Albertville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Minorville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Minorville is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minorville
    • Mid ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mid is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid
    • Whitesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bartlett ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Bartlett is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartlett
    • Rabbit Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Rabbit Town is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
    • Columbus City Ferry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Columbus City Ferry is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City Ferry
    • Gregory
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Rayburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Chattooga County (GA)
  • Floyd County (GA)
  • Polk County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock listed first.
    • Etna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Esom Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenway ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenway is located in Polk County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenway

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

Cemeteries Near Sand Rock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sand Rock.

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 Sand Rock - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sand Rock, with the one closest to Sand Rock 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sand Rock had a population of 113 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Sand Rock had a population of 674 people.

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

  • Leonard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Leonard is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
  • Leesburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Mackey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Mackey is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
  • Round Mountain
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Round Mountain is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Mountain
  • Loveless
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Loveless is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveless
  • Collinsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Portersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Portersville is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
  • Slackland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Slackland is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slackland
  • Maple Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Maple Grove is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
  • Lebanon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
  • Centre
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Hurley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Hurley is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurley
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Plano
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Plano is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
    • Collbran
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Collbran is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collbran
    • Dawson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Sand Rock ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sand Rock.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sand Rock, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sand Rock.

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 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 Sand Rock:

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>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 Sand Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Sand Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.