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 West Alabama (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 West Alabama. 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 West Alabama ...
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 have occurred.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Alabama: W. Alabama
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
West Alabama is located in Genesee County.
To see how the shape of New York's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Genesee County: Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans & Wyoming.
Below are the counties that are near West Alabama. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Alabama:
- Genesee County (The home county of West Alabama)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Alabama
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
- Alabama is located in Genesee County
- Basom
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wheatville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
- Wheatville is located in Genesee County
- Indian Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Indian Falls. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
- Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
- North Pembroke
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Pembroke. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
- North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
- Oakfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Corfu
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Ridgewood Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgewood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- Ridgewood Village is located in Genesee County
- Bushville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
- Bushville is located in Genesee County
- Elba
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elba. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Elba is located in Genesee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 627 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elba <1>
- Sawens
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sawens. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
- Sawens is located in Genesee County
- Batavia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Erie County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Akron
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Akron Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron Junction
- Akron Junction is located in Erie County
- Wolcottsburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
- Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
- Crittenden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crittenden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crittenden
- Crittenden is located in Erie County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crittenden <1>
- Clarence Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarence Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence Center
- Clarence Center is located in Erie County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarence Center <1>
- Swormville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
- Swormville is located in Erie County
- Looneyville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Looneyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
- Looneyville is located in Erie County
- Alden Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Center
- Alden Center is located in Erie County
- Alden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Harris Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
- Harris Hill is located in Erie County
- Bowmansville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bowmansville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmansville
- Bowmansville is located in Erie County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowmansville <1>
- Getzville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Brockport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Redman Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redman Corners
- Redman Corners is located in Monroe County
- Sweden Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweden Center
- Sweden Center is located in Monroe County
- Clarkson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Churchville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Riga
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riga
- Riga is located in Monroe County
- Hamlin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Adams Basin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Otis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Otis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otis
- Otis is located in Monroe County
- Niagara County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Dysinger
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dysinger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysinger
- Dysinger is located in Niagara County
- Middleport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Gasport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hartland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Hartland is located in Niagara County
- Rapids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids
- Rapids is located in Niagara County
- Raymond
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Raymond is located in Niagara County
- Ridgewood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wrights Corners
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrights Corners
- Wrights Corners is located in Niagara County
- Lockport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- South Lockport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Lockport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lockport
- South Lockport is located in Niagara County
- Millers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers
- Millers is located in Niagara County
- North Hartland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hartland
- North Hartland is located in Niagara County
- Orleans County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Lakewood Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
- Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
- Medina
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jeddo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Jeddo is located in Orleans County
- West Barre
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barre
- West Barre is located in Orleans County
- Eagle Harbor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
- Eagle Harbor is located in Orleans County
- Lyndonville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- South Barre
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Barre. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barre
- South Barre is located in Orleans County
- Albion
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kenyonville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kenyonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyonville
- Kenyonville is located in Orleans County
- Gaines
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gaines. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaines
- Gaines is located in Orleans County
- Shadigee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadigee
- Shadigee is located in Orleans County
- Kuckville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kuckville
- Kuckville is located in Orleans County
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Folsomdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
- Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
- Attica
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harris Corners
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
- Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
- Dale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Varysburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Johnsonburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Johnsonburg is located in Wyoming County
- Wyoming
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Covington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
- Covington is located in Wyoming County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Alabama, see our County-by-County Page for West Alabama.
Cemeteries Near West Alabama ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Alabama.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Alabama covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Presbyterian Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Weatherwax Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weatherwax Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weatherwax Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Michaels Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Long House Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long House Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long House Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Alabama Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alabama Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alabama Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Letts Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Letts Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Letts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ketchem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ketchem Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ketchem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Gilbert Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilbert Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilbert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Four Corners Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Four Corners Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Four Corners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fletcher Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fletcher Chapel Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fletcher Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (352 more) ...
- St. Stephens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephens Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Reed Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reed Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Swart Culver Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swart Culver Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swart Culver Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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 West Alabama in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Alabama.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Alabama, with the one closest to West Alabama listed first.
- West Shelby
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Shelby
- West Shelby is located in Orleans County
- Wolcottsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolcottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsville
- Wolcottsville is located in Niagara County
- Alabama
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
- Alabama is located in Genesee County
- Dysinger
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dysinger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysinger
- Dysinger is located in Niagara County
- Wheatville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
- Wheatville is located in Genesee County
- Shelby Basin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby Basin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby Basin
- Shelby Basin is located in Orleans County
- McNalls
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McNalls have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNalls
- McNalls is located in Niagara County
- Middleport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Akron
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Indian Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Indian Falls. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
- Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
- South Alabama
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Alabama have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Alabama
- South Alabama is located in Genesee County
- East Shelby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Shelby
- East Shelby is located in Orleans County
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Medina
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Reynales Basin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reynales Basin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynales Basin
- Reynales Basin is located in Niagara County
- Gasport
(7 miles [11.3 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 West Alabama. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Alabama.
Newspapers Published in West Alabama ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Alabama.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Alabama, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Alabama.
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 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 West Alabama:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Genesee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Erie County
- Monroe County
- Niagara County
- Orleans County
- Wyoming County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Alabama. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Genesee County: www.co.genesee.ny.us/
The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/
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> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<3> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<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 West Alabama, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Alabama) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Alabama. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.1264, Longitude: -78.4578 In this case, the coordinates for West Alabama have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |