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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 Townsend (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 Townsend. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

Townsend is located in Kemper 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 Kemper County: Sumter (AL), Lauderdale, Neshoba, Noxubee & Winston.

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

  • Kemper County     (The home county of Townsend)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Electric Mills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electric Mills
      • Electric Mills is located in Kemper County
    • De Kalb
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Scooba
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scooba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scooba
      • Scooba is located in Kemper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scooba <1>
    • Porterville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
      • Porterville is located in Kemper County
    • Giles
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
      • Giles is located in Kemper County
    • Lynville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynville
      • Lynville is located in Kemper County
  • Lauderdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Daleville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
      • Daleville is located in Lauderdale County
    • Lockhart
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockhart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
    • Bailey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Lauderdale County
    • Martin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
      • Martin is located in Lauderdale County
    • Marion
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Lauderdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Smith
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
      • Smith is located in Lauderdale County
    • Russell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Lauderdale County
    • Collinsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
      • Collinsville is located in Lauderdale County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collinsville <1>
    • Suqualena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suqualena
      • Suqualena is located in Lauderdale County
    • Nellieburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nellieburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellieburg
      • Nellieburg is located in Lauderdale County
    • Meridian
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Vimville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
      • Vimville is located in Lauderdale County
  • Neshoba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Bogue Chitto
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bogue Chitto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
      • Bogue Chitto is located in Neshoba County
    • House
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
      • House is located in Neshoba County
    • Tucker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tucker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
      • Tucker is located in Neshoba County
  • Noxubee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Shuqualak
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shuqualak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuqualak
      • Shuqualak is located in Noxubee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
    • Cooksville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooksville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
      • Cooksville is located in Noxubee County
    • Macon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
      • Macon is located in Noxubee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,384 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macon <1>
    • Mashulaville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
      • Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
  • Winston County
    • Handle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Handle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handle
      • Handle is located in Winston County
  • Greene County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Miller
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Miller have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
      • Miller is located in Greene County (AL)
    • West Greene
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Greene
      • West Greene is located in Greene County (AL)
    • Boligee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Lizzieville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lizzieville
      • Lizzieville is located in Greene County (AL)
  • Pickens County (AL)
    • Memphis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
      • Memphis is located in Pickens County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
  • Sumter County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Townsend, with the one closest to Townsend listed first.
    • Emelle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emelle
      • Emelle is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
    • Sledge ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sledge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sledge
      • Sledge is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Bethel ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Geiger
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geiger
      • Geiger is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Boyd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Sumterville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumterville
      • Sumterville is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Panola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Panola is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Gainesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gainesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gainesville
      • Gainesville is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Livingston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
      • Livingston is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,135 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Livingston <1>
    • York
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,218 people
      • Former names for York:
      • New York Station
      • York Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for York <1>
    • Epes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Epes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epes
      • Epes is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 326 people
    • Cuba
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people

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

Newspapers Published in Townsend ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Townsend.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Townsend, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Townsend.

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 helpful 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 Townsend:

Cemeteries Near Townsend ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Townsend.

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 Townsend covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Cherry Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cherry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cherry Cemetery
  • Bethany Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Springs Cemetery
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapel Hill Cemetery
  • DeKalb Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the DeKalb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the DeKalb Cemetery
  • Pinecrest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinecrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinecrest Cemetery
  • Center Ridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Ridge Cemetery
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
  • Robbins Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robbins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robbins Cemetery
  • Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery
  • Rush Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rush Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rush Cemetery
  • Continue List   (308 more) ...
    • Felton Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felton Cemetery
    • Blue Chapel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Chapel Cemetery
    • Hampton Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hampton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hampton 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.<4>

While we didn't find Townsend in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Townsend.

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

  • Sucarnoochee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sucarnoochee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sucarnoochee
    • Sucarnoochee is located in Kemper County
  • Porterville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
    • Porterville is located in Kemper County
  • Scooba
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scooba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scooba
    • Scooba is located in Kemper County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scooba <1>
  • Narkeeta ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narkeeta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narkeeta
    • Narkeeta is located in Kemper County
  • Mount Nebo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Nebo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
    • Mount Nebo is located in Kemper County
  • Enondale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enondale
    • Enondale is located in Kemper County
  • Wahalak
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahalak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahalak
    • Wahalak is located in Kemper County
  • Kemper Springs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kemper Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemper Springs
    • Kemper Springs is located in Kemper County
  • Giles
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
    • Giles is located in Kemper County
  • Tamola
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tamola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamola
    • Tamola is located in Kemper County
  • Peden ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peden
    • Peden is located in Kemper County
  • Moscow
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Moscow is located in Kemper County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Daleville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
      • Daleville is located in Lauderdale County
    • Binnsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Binnsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binnsville
      • Binnsville is located in Kemper County
    • Prismatic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prismatic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prismatic
      • Prismatic is located in Kemper County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Townsend. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.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>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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Townsend) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Townsend. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.7554, Longitude: -88.5489       In this case, the coordinates for Townsend have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Townsend, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024