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 Selma (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 Selma. 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 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.
Selma is located in Dallas County and is the County Seat.
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 Selma. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Selma:
- Dallas County (The home county of Selma)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Sunset Mill Village
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sunset Mill Village is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Mill Village
- Valley Grande
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Valley Grande is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grande
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,468 people
- Casey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Casey is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Burnsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Burnsville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Sardis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Tyler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Harrell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Belknap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Belknap is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
- Kings
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Kings is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings
- Orrville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Autauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Fremont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fremont is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
- Statesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Statesville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Jones
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jones is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Vine Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
- Jones Bluff Dam
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jones Bluff Dam is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Bluff Dam
- Independence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Independence is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Autaugaville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Autaugaville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autaugaville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 882 people
- Billingsley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Haynes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Haynes is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
- Gibbons ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Gibbons is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbons
- Booth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Booth is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth
- White City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- White City is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Bibb County
- Lawley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lawley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawley
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Riderville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Riderville is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riderville
- Stanton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Adams
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Adams is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Maplesville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Benton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Benton is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Petronia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Petronia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petronia
- White Hall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- White Hall is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
- Collirene
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Collirene is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collirene
- Gordonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gordonville is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
- Lowndesboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mosses
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mosses is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosses
- Population from the 2020 Census: 893 people
- Bragg's
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bragg's is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bragg's
- Burkville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Burkville is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkville
- Hayneville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Augustin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Suttle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Suttle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttle
- Vilula
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Sprott
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Marion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Oakmulgee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- The Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- The Village is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- Bethlehem
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Ellawhite
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Ellawhite is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellawhite
- Freetown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Jericho
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jericho is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- Uniontown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Alberta
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Alberta is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
- Rehoboth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rehoboth is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
- Ackerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ackerville is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackerville
- Boykin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Boykin is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Gastonburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Furman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Furman is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furman
- Snow Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Snow Hill is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- McBrydes
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- McBrydes is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBrydes
- Millers Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Millers Ferry is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 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
- Catherine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Selma, see our County-by-County Page for Selma.
Cemeteries Near Selma ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Selma.
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 Selma - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Selma covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Live Oak Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Lincoln Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- New Live Oak Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Kings Bend Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Pineview Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Valley Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Childers Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Henry Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (304 more) ...
- Craig Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Taylor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Parnell 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Selma had a population of 7,622 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Selma had a population of 16,671 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Augustin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Summerfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Summerfield is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Burnsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Burnsville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Berlin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Berlin is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Tyler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Harrell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Hazen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hazen is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazen
- King's Landing
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- King's Landing is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King's Landing
- Marion Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Statesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Statesville is located in Autauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statesville
- Polk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Polk is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Orrville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Belknap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Belknap is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
- Kings
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Kings is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Selma. See our List of 1890's Communities around Selma.
Newspapers Published in Selma ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Selma.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Selma, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Selma.
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 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 Selma:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Dallas County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bibb County
- Chilton County
- Lowndes 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> | 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 Selma, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Selma) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |