RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Alabama >> Jefferson County >> Wylam >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Wylam (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 Wylam. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Wylam is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Bibb, Blount, Saint Clair, Shelby, Tuscaloosa & Walker.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Wylam)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Ensley
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • McDonald Chapel
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • McDonald Chapel is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald Chapel
    • Fairfield
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Westfield ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Pratt Mines ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Edgewater
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgewater is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater
    • Minor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Minor is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
    • Fairfield Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Fairfield Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Village
    • Pleasant Grove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Docena
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Docena is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Docena
    • Midfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Duncan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Duncan is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
    • Dolomite
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Green Pond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Blocton Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodstock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • North Bibb
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • North Bibb is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bibb
    • Cane Creek ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Cane Creek is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek
    • Eddings
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Eddings is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddings
    • Belle Ellen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Nash Town ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Nash Town is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
    • Seymour
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Seymour is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
    • Blocton ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Blocton is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocton
    • Italian Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Italian Town is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italian Town
    • Burmah ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Burmah is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burmah
    • West Blocton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Blount County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Dale ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Dale is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Warrior
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Red Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Red Hill is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
    • County Line
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Reid's
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Selfville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Selfville is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selfville
    • Smoke Rise
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Smoke Rise is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoke Rise
    • Compton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hayden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Dallas
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dallas is located in Blount County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Remlap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Blount Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Adville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Cullman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Arkadelphia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Baltimore ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Baltimore is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
    • Black Bottom
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Colony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • The Colony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • The Colony is located in Cullman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Colony
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Woodland Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Woodland Village is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Acmar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Moody
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Parsons
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Brompton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Argo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Argo is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,278 people
    • Margaret
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Turnbough Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Turnbough Town is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbough Town
    • Cook's Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Cook's Springs is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook's Springs
    • Vincent
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Vincent is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vincent <1>
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Inverness
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Inverness is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inverness
    • Lake Purdy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Lake Purdy is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Purdy
    • Tacoa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Tacoa is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoa
    • Indian Springs Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Indian Springs Village is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,628 people
    • Meadowbrook
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Meadowbrook is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
    • Bridgeton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Bridgeton is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Bamford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Bamford is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
    • Falliston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Falliston is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falliston
    • Helena
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Pelham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Shoal Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Tulse
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Tulse is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulse
    • Alabaster
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Tuscaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Lake View
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Tannehill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Tannehill is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannehill
    • Bull City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Bull City is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull City
    • Abernant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kellerman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brookwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Vance
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Vance is located in Tuscaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vance <1>
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam listed first.
    • Quinton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Twilley Town
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Twilley Town is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilley Town
    • Reeds Ferry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Yerkwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wyatt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Burnwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Burnwell is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnwell
    • Oakahalla
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dora
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Star
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Red Star is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Star
    • Sumiton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Barney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Barney is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barney
    • Creel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Creel is located in Walker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creel
    • Dovertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Wylam ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wylam.

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 Wylam - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wylam, with the one closest to Wylam 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Wylam had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Ensley
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Pratt Mines ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Dolomite
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Duncan
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Duncan is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
  • Powderly
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Powderly is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderly
  • Sandusky
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Collins
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Collins is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
  • Hillman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Hillman is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman
  • Ishkooda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ishkooda is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ishkooda
  • Thomas
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomas is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
  • Woodward Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Woodward Junction is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward Junction
  • Ware
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ware is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Spaulding
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Spaulding is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Blue Creek Junction
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Blue Creek Junction is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek Junction
    • Adamsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wylam ...

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 187 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wylam.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wylam. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wylam and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wylam.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> of Wylam.

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 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 Wylam:

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 Wylam, 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' (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- Wylam) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.