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 Topton (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 Topton. 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.
Topton is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Greene (MS) & Wayne (MS).
Below are the counties that are near Topton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Topton:
- Washington County (The home county of Topton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Seaboard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Seaboard is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaboard
- Hawthorn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hawthorn is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
- Sims Chapel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
- McIntosh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Tibbie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tibbie is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbie
- Fairford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
- Sunflower
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sunflower is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Malcolm
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Malcolm is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcolm
- Deer Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Deer Park is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Vinegar Bend
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Vinegar Bend is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinegar Bend
- Wagarville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chatom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Tensaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tensaw is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tensaw
- Latham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Latham is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
- Blacksher
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
- Little River
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Stockton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Bladon Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Cullomburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Carlton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rockville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rockville is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Jackson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Stave Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
- Salitpa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Alma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Alma is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Walker Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Toddtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Toddtown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
- Winn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Winn is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Gainestown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gainestown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
- Mobile County
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Calvert
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Citronelle
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Vernon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Movico
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Movico is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Movico
- Chastang
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Chastang is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
- Bucks
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Gulfcrest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Gulfcrest is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulfcrest
- Barry Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Barry Village is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry Village
- Axis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Axis is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axis
- Chunchula
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Chunchula is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chunchula
- Creola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Creola is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,032 people
- Satsuma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Monroe County
- Mount Pleasant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Greene County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- State Line
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- State Line is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
- Brown Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brown Town is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Clark
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Clark is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Leakesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Carson City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Carson City is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
- Hillman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hillman is located in Greene County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Topton, see our County-by-County Page for Topton.
Cemeteries Near Topton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Topton.
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 Topton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Topton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Sims Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hill Springs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Magnolia Holiness Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rivers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Reeds Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Washington Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Chalker Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Red Wash Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Howard Town Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (216 more) ...
- McIntosh Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Old Methodist Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Vaughn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
While we didn't find Topton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Topton.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Topton, with the one closest to Topton listed first.
- Sims Chapel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sims Chapel is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims Chapel
- McIntosh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Fairford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairford
- Deer Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Deer Park is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Sunflower
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sunflower is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Vinegar Bend
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Vinegar Bend is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinegar Bend
- Calvert
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Citronelle
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wagar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wagar is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagar
- Escatawpa
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Escatawpa is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escatawpa
- Mount Vernon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Carson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Carson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Chastang
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Chastang is located in Mobile County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chastang
- Saint Stephen's
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Yellow Pine
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Yellow Pine is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Topton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Topton.
Newspapers Published in Topton ...
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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around Topton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Topton, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Topton.
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 Topton:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baldwin County
- Choctaw County
- Clarke County
- Mobile County
- Monroe County
- Greene 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 Topton, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Topton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |