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 Valley Junction (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 Valley Junction. 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 Valley Junction ...
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 Valley Junction: Valley Jct. (or less commonly used: Valley Jctn.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Valley Junction. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Valley Junction.
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 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.
Valley Junction is located in Shelby 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 Shelby County: Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Jefferson, Saint Clair & Talladega.
Below are the counties that are near Valley Junction. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Valley Junction:
- Shelby County (The home county of Valley Junction)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Montevallo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wilton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- 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
- Calera
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Maylene
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Brantleyville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Brantleyville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantleyville
- Saginaw
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Saginaw is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
- Siluria
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Siluria is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
- Sawmill Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sawmill Town is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Town
- Alabaster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Aden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Aden is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aden
- Tulse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
- Columbiana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Autauga County
- Billingsley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bibb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Brierfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Ashby
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ashby is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Oakley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oakley is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Eddings
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Eddings is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
- Seymour
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Seymour is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
- Cane Creek ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
- Randolph
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Randolph is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Belle Ellen
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Belle Ellen is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Ellen
- Nash Town ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Nash Town is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
- Tucker
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Tucker is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Pratt Ferry ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pratt Ferry is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt Ferry
- Active
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Active is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Active
- Chilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Jemison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Thorsby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jumbo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jumbo is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
- Maplesville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Clanton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Adams
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Adams is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Stanton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Stanton is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
- Riderville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Riderville is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riderville
- Verbena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Verbena is located in Chilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Coosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Aucheucaula ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Aucheucaula is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheucaula
- Dollar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dollar is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar
- Weogufka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Weogufka is located in Coosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weogufka
- Dallas County
- Plantersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Plantersville is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantersville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Greenwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Kimbrell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Kimbrell is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbrell
- McCalla
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mobile Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mobile Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mobile Junction
- Hoover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- New Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- New Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
- Shannon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Shannon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
- Bessemer
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Old Jonesboro
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Old Jonesboro is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Jonesboro
- Blue Creek Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Blue Creek Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek Junction
- Lipscomb
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lipscomb is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipscomb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,110 people
- Bullard Shoals ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bullard Shoals is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard Shoals
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Oakmulgee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Oakmulgee is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakmulgee
- Bethlehem
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Talladega County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Talladega Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Talladega Springs is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talladega Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Fayetteville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fayetteville is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
- Gantts Quarry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Gantts Quarry is located in Talladega County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantts Quarry
- Childersburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tuscaloosa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Tannehill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
- Lake View
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lake View is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
- Vance
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Abernant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Abernant is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abernant
- Pearson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pearson is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Hagler
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hagler is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagler
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Valley Junction, see our County-by-County Page for Valley Junction.
Cemeteries Near Valley Junction ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Junction.
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 Valley Junction - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Valley Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Session Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Richardson - Randall Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Reynolds Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Shelby Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Montevallo Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Alabama National Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Old Rock Springs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- King Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Providence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Rock Springs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (432 more) ...
- Shiloh - Busby Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Salem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Moores Crossroads Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Valley Junction in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Valley Junction.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Valley Junction, with the one closest to Valley Junction listed first.
- Montevallo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- South Calera
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- South Calera is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Calera
- Calera
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brierfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dogwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Dogwood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
- Ashby
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ashby is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Maylene
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Shelby Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Shelby Springs is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Springs
- Longview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Longview is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Jemison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Siluria
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Siluria is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siluria
- Gurnee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gurnee is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurnee
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Anita
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Anita is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anita
- Boothton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Boothton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boothton
- Tulse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tulse is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Valley Junction. See our List of 1890's Communities around Valley Junction.
Newspapers Published in Valley Junction ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Junction.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Junction, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Junction.
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 either 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 Valley Junction:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Autauga County
- Bibb County
- Chilton County
- Coosa County
- Dallas County
- Jefferson County
- Perry County
- Talladega County
- Tuscaloosa 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> | 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- Valley Junction) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Valley Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |