Historical Atlas of Alabama
Volume 2
Cemetery Locations by County, by W. Craig Remington, 1999

by Steve Paul Johnson
February 16, 2002

This book can provide genealogists, historians, and cemetery enthusiasts with a wealth of information about the existence of cemeteries and their locations throughout the State of Alabama.

A cemetery enthusiast needs a resource that provides the names and locations of cemeteries. Those in Alabama will find "Historical Atlas of Alabama, Volume 2, Cemetery Locations by County" as one of their best resources.

Packed with over 600 pages of maps, cemetery locations, notes, and bibliography, this atlas is the most thorough cemetery directory for the State of Alabama to date. Author W. Craig Remington and his students at the University of Alabama, Department of Geography have identified over 13,700 cemeteries, including those of unknown names and uncertain locations.

The book is divided up into 67 sections, one for each county. Each section includes a full color map pinpointing the location of each cemetery. A table organizes all the cemeteries in alphabetical order by name, and provides the location in township/range/section. Next to each cemetery, are notes that identify church affiliation, facts and figures, and predominant surnames.

In the preface, Remington acknowledges that he and his students did not actually visit every cemetery. But then, how could anyone visit over 13,700 cemeteries in a span of just a couple years? All of the information was compiled from what seems like hundreds of other published sources, all of which are meticulously documented within each county-section.

Throughout the book, Remington provides several factoids relating to Alabama geography, history, and sociology. For example on page 226 there is a table of populations by county for the decades between 1820-1990. On page 200 is a map of Alabama showing the county boundaries as of 1830. On page 82 is a table showing the most popular religions in Alabama along with the number members, as of 1906.

Appendix I contains an explanation of the Public Land Survey, and how to interpret the township/range/section markings. Appendix II is a statewide alphabetical list of cemeteries. Appendex III provides an alphabetical list of Alabama place names.

The book is softbound, with 612 pages. The cost is $60.00, which might seem expensive at first, but if your interest is in the history, genealogy, or cemeteries of Alabama, you'll agree that this book is well worth the cost. Proceeds from the sales goes towards providing financial aid to the geography students at the University of Alabama.

To purchase this book, visit the website of the Cartographic Research Laboratory.

- Steve Paul Johnson