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 Western Hills (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 Western Hills. 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.
Western Hills is located in Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County: Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson & Pickens.
Below are the counties that are near Western Hills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Western Hills:
- Tuscaloosa County (The home county of Western Hills)
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Coker
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Buhl
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Buhl is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buhl
- Elrod
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Elrod is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
- Echola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Echola is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echola
- Lake Front Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lake Front Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Front Village
- Northport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ingleside Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ingleside Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside Village
- Sahama Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sahama Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sahama Village
- Tuscaloosa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- University
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- University is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
- Wood Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wood Village is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Village
- Foster's
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alberta City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Alberta City is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta City
- Bibb County
- Egypt ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Egypt is located in Bibb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Ashcraft Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ashcraft Corner is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcraft Corner
- Bankston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bankston is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Berry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rossland City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rossland City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland City
- Belk
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Belk is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Alta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Alta is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Fayette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Old Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Old Town is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Mantua
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Mantua is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantua
- Knoxville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Knoxville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- Union
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Lewiston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lewiston is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
- Clinton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clinton is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Eutaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Moundville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Powers
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Powers is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
- Oak Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Oak Village is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Village
- Phipps ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Phipps is located in Hale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phipps
- Akron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lamar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Kennedy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kennedy is located in Lamar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
- Millport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pickens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Gordo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Lubbub
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Bell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Benevola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Benevola is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benevola
- Reform
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Stansel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Stansel is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stansel
- Olney
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Olney is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
- Carrollton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Carrollton is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Coal Fire
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Fire is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fire
- Aliceville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- McShan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- McShan is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McShan
- McMullen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- McMullen is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMullen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9 people
- Beaver Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Beaver Town is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Western Hills, see our County-by-County Page for Western Hills.
Cemeteries Near Western Hills ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Western Hills.
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 Western Hills - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Western Hills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- AME Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Guy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Guy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Old Liberty Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Big Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cornelius Chapel #1 Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cornelius Chapel #2 Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Coker Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Parker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Geer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Dodd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pool Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (493 more) ...
- Springer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pate Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Union Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<2>
While we didn't find Western Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Western Hills.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Western Hills, with the one closest to Western Hills listed first.
- Coker
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Romulus
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Romulus is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
- Northport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Tuscaloosa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Foster's
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- University
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- University is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University
- Gordo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sylvan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Sylvan is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
- Samantha
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Samantha is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samantha
- Moore's Bridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Moore's Bridge is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore's Bridge
- Englewood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Englewood is located in Tuscaloosa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Pleasant Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Lubbub
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lubbub is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubbub
- Cottondale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Bell is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Western Hills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Western Hills.
Newspapers Published in Western Hills ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Western Hills.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Western Hills, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Western Hills.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Western Hills:
- Websites specific to Alabama
- Pages specific to Tuscaloosa County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bibb County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Hale County
- Lamar County
- Pickens 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 Western Hills, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Western Hills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |