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 Shell (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 Shell. 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 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.
Shell is located in Butler 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 Butler County: Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Lowndes, Monroe & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Shell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shell:
- Butler County (The home county of Shell)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Industry
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Industry is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Chapman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Chapman is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Georgiana
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- McKenzie
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Oaky Streak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Oaky Streak is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaky Streak
- Bolling
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bolling is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolling
- Garland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Garland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Starlington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Starlington is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starlington
- Shacklesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Shacklesville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shacklesville
- Greenville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Forest Home
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Coffee County
- Pine Level
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pine Level is located in Coffee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
- Conecuh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Wilcox
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wilcox is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
- Mount Union
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Union is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Old Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Old Town is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Owassa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Owassa is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owassa
- Rabb
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rabb is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabb
- Mixonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mixonville is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mixonville
- Centerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Commerce
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Commerce is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Paul
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Paul is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paul
- Evergreen
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jay Villa ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jay Villa is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay Villa
- Brooklyn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Brooklyn is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Covington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Red Level
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Red Level is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Gantt
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gantt is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- River Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- River Falls is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
- Heath
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Heath is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Antioch
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Rose Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Hill is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Andalusia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sanford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sanford is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Carolina
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Carolina is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
- Libertyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Libertyville is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
- Babbie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Babbie is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babbie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
- Crenshaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Merrill Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Merrill Mill is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill Mill
- Leon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Leon is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Dozier
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cherokee Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cherokee Village is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
- Honoraville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Honoraville is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honoraville
- Rutledge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rutledge is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
- Brantley
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Luverne
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Vernledge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Vernledge is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernledge
- Peacock ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Peacock is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peacock
- Bullock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bullock is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullock
- Glenwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lowndes County
- Fort Deposit
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Pine Orchard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pine Orchard is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Orchard
- Burnt Corn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Burnt Corn is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Corn
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Awin
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Awin is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Awin
- Pine Apple
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Apple is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Apple
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Schuster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Schuster is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schuster
- McWilliams
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shell, see our County-by-County Page for Shell.
Cemeteries Near Shell ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shell.
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 Shell - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Riley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Wesley Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Butler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brushy Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Elizabeth Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bushfield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (224 more) ...
- Friendship Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kervin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Consolation Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Shell had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shell, with the one closest to Shell listed first.
- Industry
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Industry is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
- Chapman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Chapman is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Georgiana
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Oaky Streak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Oaky Streak is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaky Streak
- Vera Cruz ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vera Cruz is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera Cruz
- Bolling
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bolling is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolling
- Pigeon Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pigeon Creek is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon Creek
- Garland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Garland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Starlington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Starlington is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starlington
- Red Level
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Red Level is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Level
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Glasgow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Glasgow is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Wilcox
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wilcox is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Cohassett
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Cohassett is located in Conecuh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohassett
- Leon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Leon is located in Crenshaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Shacklesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Shacklesville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shacklesville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shell.
Newspapers Published in Shell ...
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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shell.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shell, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shell.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Shell:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Butler County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coffee County
- Conecuh County
- Covington County
- Crenshaw County
- Lowndes County
- Monroe 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> | 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 Shell, 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' (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- Shell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |