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 (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. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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 is located in Clarke 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 Clarke County: Baldwin, Choctaw, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Washington & Wilcox.
Below are the counties that are near Union. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Union:
- Clarke County (The home county of Union)
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Whatley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Whatley is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whatley
- Grove Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Toddtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Toddtown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddtown
- Walker Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Suggsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Suggsville is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
- Zimco
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zimco is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimco
- Winn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Winn is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Jackson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dickinson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dickinson is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickinson
- Stave Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stave Creek is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stave Creek
- Fulton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Fulton is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alma is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Gainestown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gainestown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
- Baldwin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Little River
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Blacksher
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blacksher is located in Baldwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksher
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Bladon Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Womack Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Womack Hill is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womack Hill
- Cullomburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Marengo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Ellison ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ellison is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellison
- Dixon's Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dixon's Mills is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon's Mills
- Vineland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Vineland is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
- Putnam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Putnam is located in Marengo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Finchburg ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Finchburg is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchburg
- Claiborne
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Claiborne is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claiborne
- Perdue Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Perdue Hill is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdue Hill
- Scratch Ankle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Scratch Ankle is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scratch Ankle
- Mount Pleasant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Franklin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Franklin is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Mexia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Mexia is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mexia
- Frisco City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hybart
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hybart is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hybart
- Megargel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Megargel is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Megargel
- Uriah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Monroeville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ollie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ollie is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ollie
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Carson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
- Leroy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Leroy is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Prestwick
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Prestwick is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestwick
- Saint Stephen's
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bassetts Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bassetts Creek is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassetts Creek
- Wagarville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sunflower
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sunflower is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Frankville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Frankville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Bigbee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bigbee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Hobson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hobson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
- Hawthorn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hawthorn is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
- McIntosh
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chatom
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilcox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Lower Peach Tree
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lower Peach Tree is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Peach Tree
- Coy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coy is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coy
- Asahel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Asahel is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asahel
- Pine Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Hill is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 834 people
- Yellow Bluff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Yellow Bluff is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Bluff
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Kimbrough
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kimbrough is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbrough
- Nellie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nellie is located in Wilcox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellie
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Union, see our County-by-County Page for Union.
Cemeteries Near Union ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union.
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 - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Union covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Puyear Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Magnolia Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mathews Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coleman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cammack Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hollingsworth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Whatley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Davis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dacy Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Antioch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (237 more) ...
- Gaddies Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Gilead Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pugh Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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 Union in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Union.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
- Whatley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Whatley is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whatley
- Grove Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Walker Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Suggsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Suggsville is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suggsville
- Winn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Winn is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Jackson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vashti
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Vashti is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Dickinson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dickinson is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickinson
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alma is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Gosport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Gosport is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gosport
- Gainestown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gainestown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainestown
- Salitpa
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Carson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
- Barlow Bend
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Barlow Bend is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow Bend
- Finchburg ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Finchburg is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchburg
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Union. See our List of 1890's Communities around Union.
Newspapers Published in Union ...
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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Union.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union.
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 Union:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Clarke County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baldwin County
- Choctaw County
- Marengo County
- Monroe County
- Washington 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 Union, 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- Union) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |