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 Shaw (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 Shaw. 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.
Shaw is located in Pickens 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 Pickens County: Fayette, Greene, Lamar, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Lowndes (MS) & Noxubee (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Shaw. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shaw:
- Pickens County (The home county of Shaw)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Coal Fire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Coal Fire is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fire
- McShan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- McShan is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McShan
- Reform
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ethelsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ethelsville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethelsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Stafford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stafford is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Macedonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Lubbub
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Stansel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Stansel is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stansel
- Bell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Carrollton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Carrollton is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Gordo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Archer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Archer is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Ashcraft Corner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ashcraft Corner is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcraft Corner
- Belk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Belk is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Fayette
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Old Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Old Town is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Rossland City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rossland City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
- Kirkland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Kirkland is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
- Bluff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bluff is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- Bankston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bankston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Berry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lamar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Millport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fernbank
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Fernbank is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernbank
- Kennedy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Hightogy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hightogy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightogy
- Vernon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bedford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Bedford is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
- Sulligent
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Beaverton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Echola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Echola is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echola
- Elrod
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Elrod is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
- New Lexington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- New Lexington is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Buhl
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Buhl is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buhl
- Samantha
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Samantha is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samantha
- Coker
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clay County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Waverly
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Waverly is located in Clay County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Vinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Vinton is located in Clay County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Lowndes County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- New Hope
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Caledonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Columbus
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Kolola Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kolola Springs is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kolola Springs
- Bent Oak
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bent Oak is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Oak
- Monroe County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Hamilton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gattman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gattman is located in Monroe County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gattman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
- Greenwood Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Noxubee County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Ravine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ravine is located in Noxubee County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravine
- Deerbrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Deerbrook is located in Noxubee County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shaw, see our County-by-County Page for Shaw.
Cemeteries Near Shaw ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shaw.
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 Shaw - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shaw covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Bell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Rocky Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Phoenix Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Eatman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Oddfellows Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Antioch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Baird Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Payne Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (498 more) ...
- Andrews Chapel Churchyard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Andrews Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
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 Shaw in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Shaw.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shaw, with the one closest to Shaw listed first.
- Millport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fernbank
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Fernbank is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernbank
- Palmetto
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Palmetto is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
- Coal Fire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Coal Fire is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fire
- Kennedy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Stafford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stafford is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Reform
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Kingville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Kingville is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingville
- Star
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Star is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Hightogy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hightogy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightogy
- New Hope
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Bell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Lubbub
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Steens
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Steens is located in Lowndes County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steens
- Gordo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shaw. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shaw.
Newspapers Published in Shaw ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shaw.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shaw, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shaw.
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 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 Shaw:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Pickens County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fayette County
- Lamar County
- Tuscaloosa County
- Clay County
- Lowndes County
- Monroe County
- Noxubee 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 Shaw, 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- Shaw) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |