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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 Willow Springs (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 Willow Springs. 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 Willow Springs ...

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 Willow Springs: Willow Spgs. (or less commonly used: Willow Spngs. or Willow Sprngs.)

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

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Willow Springs is located in Elmore 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 Elmore County: Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Macon, Montgomery & Tallapoosa.

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

  • Elmore County     (The home county of Willow Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Blue Ridge
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Blue Ridge is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
    • Fusihatchi ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fusihatchi is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fusihatchi
    • Wetumpka
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Ware
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Ware is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
    • Elmore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Coosada
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Prattville Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Prattville Junction is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prattville Junction
    • Claud
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Claud is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claud
    • Robinson Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Robinson Springs is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Springs
    • Adkin Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Adkin Hill is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adkin Hill
      • Adkin Hill has also been known as:
      • Atkins Hill
    • Eclectic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Deatsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Autauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Millbrook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Prattville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Pine Level
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Level is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Melmar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Melmar is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melmar
    • Marbury
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Booth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Booth is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth
    • Gibbons ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Gibbons is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbons
    • White City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • White City is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Autaugaville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Autaugaville is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autaugaville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 882 people
    • Haynes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Haynes is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
    • Independence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Independence is located in Autauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
  • Bullock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Mitchell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mitchell is located in Bullock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
    • Fitzpatrick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Fitzpatrick is located in Bullock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzpatrick
  • Chilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Mountain Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Mountain Creek is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Creek
    • Verbena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Verbena is located in Chilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
  • Coosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Equality
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Equality is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Equality
    • Pentonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Pentonville is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentonville
    • Nixburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Nixburg is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixburg
    • Cottage Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cottage Grove is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
    • Fishpond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fishpond is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishpond
    • Hissop
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hissop is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hissop
    • Rockford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Ray
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ray is located in Coosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
  • Hale County
    • Erie ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Erie is located in Hale County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
  • Lowndes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Burkville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Burkville is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkville
    • Lowndesboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Letohatchee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Letohatchee is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letohatchee
    • Davenport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Davenport is located in Lowndes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
    • Hayneville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Tysonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Tysonville is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tysonville
    • Shorter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Calebee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Calebee is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calebee
    • Hornady
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Hornady is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornady
    • La Place
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • La Place is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Place
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hardaway
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Hardaway is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardaway
    • Liberty City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Liberty City is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
    • Tuskegee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Notasulga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Madison
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Madison is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
    • Sunshine Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Sunshine Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine Village
    • Boylston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Boylston is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boylston
    • Capitol Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Capitol Heights is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol Heights
    • New Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • New Town is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Mount Meigs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Meigs is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Meigs
    • Montgomery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Waugh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Waugh is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
    • Gibbs Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gibbs Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbs Village
    • Highland Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Highland Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
    • Young Forte Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Young Forte Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Forte Village
    • Pike Road
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Tallapoosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • East Tallassee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • East Tallassee is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Tallassee
    • Tallapoosa City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Tallapoosa City is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallapoosa City
    • Reeltown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Reeltown is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeltown
    • Benson ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Benson is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
    • Susannah ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Susannah is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susannah
    • Church Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Church Hill is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
    • Our Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Our Town is located in Tallapoosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Town

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

Cemeteries Near Willow Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Springs.

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 Willow Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Willow Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow Springs.

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

  • Wetumpka
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Jackson's Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jackson's Lake is located in Elmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson's Lake
  • Montgomery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Mount Meigs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Meigs is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Meigs
  • Ware
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ware is located in Elmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
  • Elmore
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Barachias
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Barachias is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barachias
  • Robinson Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Robinson Springs is located in Elmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Springs
  • Perry's Mill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Perry's Mill is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry's Mill
  • Good Hope
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Good Hope is located in Elmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
  • Dexter
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Dexter is located in Elmore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
  • Pike Road
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Eclectic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Holtville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Holtville is located in Elmore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holtville
      • Holtville has also been known as:
      • Slapout
    • Deatsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Willow Springs ...

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 140 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Springs, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Springs.

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 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 Willow Springs:

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 Willow Springs, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Willow Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.