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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 Union Grove (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 Union Grove. 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.

Name Variations for Union Grove ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Union Grove: Union Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Union Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Union Grove.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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 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.

Union Grove is located in Chilton 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 Chilton County: Autauga, Bibb, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore & Shelby.

Below are the counties that are near Union Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Union Grove:

  • Chilton County     (The home county of Union Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Jemison
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Thorsby
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jumbo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jumbo is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
    • Clanton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Maplesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Verbena
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Verbena is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
    • Adams
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Adams is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
    • Stanton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Stanton is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
    • Mountain Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mountain Creek is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Creek
    • Riderville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Riderville is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riderville
  • Autauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Billingsley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Marbury
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • White City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • White City is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Haynes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Haynes is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
    • Vine Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Vine Hill is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Hill
    • Pine Level
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pine Level is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Jones
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jones is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Oakley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Oakley is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
    • Brierfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Randolph
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Randolph is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
    • Tucker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Tucker is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
    • Ashby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Ashby is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
    • Lawley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Lawley is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawley
    • Active
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Active is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Active
    • Eddings
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Eddings is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
    • Seymour
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Seymour is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
    • Nash Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Nash Town is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
    • Pratt Ferry ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Pratt Ferry is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt Ferry
    • Belle Ellen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle Ellen is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Ellen
  • Coosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
    • Dollar
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Dollar is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
    • Weogufka
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Weogufka is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weogufka
    • Stewartville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Stewartville is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartville
    • Rockford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Pentonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Pentonville is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentonville
  • Dallas County
    • Plantersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Plantersville is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantersville
  • Elmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Lightwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Lightwood is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lightwood
    • Titus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Hoover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hoover is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85,959 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoover <1>
    • Kimbrell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Kimbrell is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbrell
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Oakmulgee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
    • Bethlehem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Bethlehem is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Calera
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelby
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Merrell Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Merrell Beach is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrell Beach
    • Pine Grove Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Grove Village is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Village
    • Montevallo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilton is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
      • Former names for Wilton:
      • Birmingham Junction
      • Bismarck
      • Catoosa
      • Woods
      • Woodsborough
    • Columbiana
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Saginaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Saginaw is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
    • Maylene
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Siluria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Siluria is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
    • Brantleyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brantleyville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantleyville
    • Wilsonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Alabaster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Talladega County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.
    • Talladega Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Fayetteville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
    • Gantts Quarry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Grove is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 513 people
    • Bon Air
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bon Air is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bon Air
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Childersburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Comerdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Comerdale is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comerdale
    • Mignon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mignon is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mignon
    • Zubers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Zubers is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zubers
    • Sylacauga
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Oldfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Oldfield is located in Talladega County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
  • Tuscaloosa County
    • Tannehill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Union Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Union Grove.

Cemeteries Near Union Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union Grove.

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 Union Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Union Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.

  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Rocky Mount Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Collins Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Archers Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Cobb Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Rocky Mount Community Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mineral Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Davis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (427 more) ...
    • St. Pauls Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Holly Grove Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pine Hill Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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>

While we didn't find Union Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Union Grove.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Union Grove, with the one closest to Union Grove listed first.

  • Jemison
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Jumbo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jumbo is located in Chilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
  • Lomax
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Lomax is located in Chilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
  • South Calera
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • South Calera is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Calera
  • Calera
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Clanton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Shelby Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Shelby Springs is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Springs
  • Shelby
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Quinsey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Quinsey is located in Coosa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinsey
  • Marble Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Marble Valley is located in Coosa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble Valley
  • Montevallo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Brierfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Randolph
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Randolph is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
    • Columbiana
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Ashby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Ashby is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Union Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Union Grove.

Newspapers Published in Union Grove ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Union Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union Grove, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Union Grove:

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 Union Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Union Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.