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 Alligator (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 Alligator. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.
Alligator is located in Bolivar County.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Bolivar County: Desha (AR), Coahoma, Sunflower & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Alligator. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Alligator:
- Bolivar County (The home county of Alligator)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Duncan
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Hushpuckena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hushpuckena
- Hushpuckena is located in Bolivar County
- Round Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
- Round Lake is located in Bolivar County
- Shelby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
- Shelby is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,910 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shelby <2>
- Winstonville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winstonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstonville
- Winstonville is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Perthshire
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perthshire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perthshire
- Perthshire is located in Bolivar County
- Mound Bayou
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mound Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Bayou
- Mound Bayou is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mound Bayou <2>
- Gunnison
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunnison
- Gunnison is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Merigold
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merigold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merigold
- Merigold is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merigold <2>
- Waxhaw
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waxhaw
- Waxhaw is located in Bolivar County
- Renova
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south) - Wright
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
- Wright is located in Bolivar County
- Pace
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Coahoma County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Sunflower Landing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunflower Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower Landing
- Sunflower Landing is located in Coahoma County
- Roundaway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundaway
- Roundaway is located in Coahoma County
- Hopson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopson
- Hopson is located in Coahoma County
- Claremont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Claremont is located in Coahoma County
- Clarksdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
- Clarksdale is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,470 people
- Dublin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Dublin is located in Coahoma County
- Lyon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon
- Lyon is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
- Friars Point
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friars Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friars Point
- Friars Point is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
- Eagles Nest
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagles Nest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagles Nest
- Eagles Nest is located in Coahoma County
- Coahoma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coahoma
- Coahoma is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coahoma <2>
- Jonestown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
- Jonestown is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,070 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonestown <2>
- Rich
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich
- Rich is located in Coahoma County
- Lula
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lula
- Lula is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lula <2>
- Quitman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Vance
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Vance is located in Quitman County
- Yarbrough
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yarbrough
- Yarbrough is located in Quitman County
- Lambert
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambert
- Lambert is located in Quitman County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,325 people
- Marks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marks
- Marks is located in Quitman County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,408 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marks <2>
- Sunflower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Rome
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Rome is located in Sunflower County
- Whitney
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast) - Drew
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drew
- Drew is located in Sunflower County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,579 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Drew <2>
- Ruleville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruleville
- Ruleville is located in Sunflower County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,511 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruleville <2>
- White City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- White City is located in Sunflower County
- Tallahatchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Tutwiler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tutwiler
- Tutwiler is located in Tallahatchie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,401 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tutwiler <2>
- Sumner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
- Sumner is located in Tallahatchie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Webb
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast) - Albin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albin
- Albin is located in Tallahatchie County
- Swan Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Lake
- Swan Lake is located in Tallahatchie County
- Glendora
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glendora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendora
- Glendora is located in Tallahatchie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glendora <2>
- Arkansas County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Ethel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
- Ethel is located in Arkansas County (AR)
- Saint Charles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
- Saint Charles is located in Arkansas County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Charles <2>
- Desha County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Snow Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west) - Napoleon ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Phillips County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Mellwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Crumrod
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Elaine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elaine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elaine
- Elaine is located in Phillips County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 481 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elaine <2>
- Old Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north) - Wabash
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
- Wabash is located in Phillips County (AR)
- Lambrook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest) - Lakeview
(23 miles [37 km] to the north) - Oneida
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north) - Helena - West Helena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena - West Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena - West Helena
- Helena - West Helena is located in Phillips County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,032 people
- Huma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Alligator, see our County-by-County Page for Alligator.
Newspapers Published in Alligator ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alligator.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alligator, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alligator.
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 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 Alligator:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the Mississippi Department of Archives & History
- Pages specific to Bolivar County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coahoma County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Quitman County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sunflower County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Tallahatchie County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Arkansas County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Desha County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Phillips County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Coahoma County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Mississippi
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Mississippi
- Cemeteries of Bolivar County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Mississippi
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Mississippi
Cemeteries Near Alligator ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alligator.
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 Alligator covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Mt. Harmon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Harmon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Harmon Cemetery
- Ham Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ham Cemetery
- New Ashley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Ashley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Ashley Cemetery
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jerusalem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jerusalem Cemetery
- Booker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Booker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Booker Cemetery
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
- Sanders Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanders Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanders Cemetery
- Union Temple Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Temple Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Temple Cemetery
- Clarksdale Mennonite Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- The Clarksdale Mennonite Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Clarksdale Church of God In Christ Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarksdale Mennonite Church Cemetery
- Mt. Evergreen Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Evergreen Cemetery
- Robinson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robinson Cemetery
- Johnson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
- Continue List (183 more) ...
- Dogwood Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dogwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dogwood Cemetery
- Nathan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nathan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nathan Cemetery
- Round Lake Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round Lake Cemetery
- Dogwood Cemetery
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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Alligator had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Alligator had a population of 182 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Alligator, with the one closest to Alligator listed first.
- Duncan
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Bobo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast) - Green Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Grove
- Green Grove is located in Coahoma County
- Hushpuckena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hushpuckena
- Hushpuckena is located in Bolivar County
- Hillhouse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest) - Sunflower Landing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunflower Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower Landing
- Sunflower Landing is located in Coahoma County
- Round Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
- Round Lake is located in Bolivar County
- Sherard
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Deeson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Shelby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
- Shelby is located in Bolivar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,910 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shelby <2>
- Clarksdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
- Clarksdale is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,470 people
- Laconia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west) - Continue List (15 more) ...
- Perthshire
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perthshire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perthshire
- Perthshire is located in Bolivar County
- Dublin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Dublin is located in Coahoma County
- Lyon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon
- Lyon is located in Coahoma County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
- Perthshire
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Alligator. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alligator.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alligator. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Bolivar County: www.co.bolivar.ms.us/
The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alligator) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alligator. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0901, Longitude: -90.7198 |
| <5> | 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 Alligator, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |