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 Sunshine (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 Sunshine. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Sunshine is located in Hale 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 Hale County: Bibb, Greene, Marengo, Perry & Tuscaloosa.
Below are the counties that are near Sunshine. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sunshine:
- Hale County (The home county of Sunshine)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Newbern
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Newbern is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Rosemary
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rosemary is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemary
- Cedarville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarville is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Prairieville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Prairieville is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Greensboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gallion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gallion is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallion
- Arcola
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Arcola is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Sawyerville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Akron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Phipps ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Phipps is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phipps
- Oak Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Village is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Village
- Powers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Powers is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
- Moundville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bibb County
- Pondville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pondville is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pondville
- Choctaw County
- Cedahoma ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cedahoma is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedahoma
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Browns
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Massillon ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Massillon is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massillon
- Central Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Central Mills is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Mills
- Harrell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Harrell is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrell
- Marion Junction
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Marion Junction is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Junction
- Safford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orrville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Crumptonia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Crumptonia is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumptonia
- Sunset Mill Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sunset Mill Village is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Mill Village
- Valley Grande
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Valley Grande is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Grande
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,468 people
- Cahawba ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cahawba is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahawba
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Forkland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Forkland is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 583 people
- Eutaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Faunsdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Siddonsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Siddonsville is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsville
- Tombigbee ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tombigbee is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tombigbee
- Dayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Dayton is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Aigleville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Aigleville is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aigleville
- Demopolis
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Crenshaw ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Crenshaw is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Consul
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Consul is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Consul
- Thomaston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Thomaston is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomaston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 383 people
- Providence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Providence is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
- Hugo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hugo is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
- Linden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pin Hook
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pin Hook is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Hook
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Uniontown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ellawhite
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ellawhite is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellawhite
- The Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- The Village is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village
- Freetown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Freetown is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freetown
- Marion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Morgan Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Morgan Springs is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Springs
- Vilula
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Vilula is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilula
- Brush Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Brush Creek is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
- Sprott
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sprott is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprott
- Suttle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Suttle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttle
- Jericho
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jericho is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- Augustin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Augustin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augustin
- Bethlehem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- McDowell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- McDowell is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
- Coatopa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Coatopa is located in Sumter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatopa
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Alberta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Alberta is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
- Gastonburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gastonburg is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonburg
- Catherine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Catherine is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catherine
- Rehoboth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Rehoboth is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth
- Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Lamison
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lamison is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamison
- Prairie Bluff ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Prairie Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Bluff
- Prairie Bluff has also been known as:
- Dale
- Daletown
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sunshine, see our County-by-County Page for Sunshine.
Cemeteries Near Sunshine ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunshine.
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 Sunshine - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sunshine covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Curry Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- McCreary Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Morrissette Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hatch Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Newbern Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Alex Chapel Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Alexander Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tunstall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cottrell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fowler Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hunter Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (357 more) ...
- Jones Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Turpin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Blanks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Sunshine had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sunshine, with the one closest to Sunshine listed first.
- Newbern
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Newbern is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Laneville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Laneville is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laneville
- Whitsitt
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Whitsitt is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsitt
- Faunsdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Uniontown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cedarville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarville is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Gallion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gallion is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallion
- Greensboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Folsom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Folsom is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
- Tombigbee ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tombigbee is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tombigbee
- Arcola
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Arcola is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Browns
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Browns is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Marion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Morgan Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Morgan Springs is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Springs
- Old Spring Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Old Spring Hill is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Spring Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sunshine. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sunshine.
Newspapers Published in Sunshine ...
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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunshine.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunshine, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunshine.
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 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 Sunshine:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Hale County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bibb County
- Choctaw County
- Dallas County
- Greene County
- Marengo County
- Perry County
- Sumter 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 Sunshine, 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- Sunshine) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |