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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 Cosson Mill (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 Cosson Mill. 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 Cosson Mill ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Cosson Mill: Cosson Ml. (or less commonly used: Cosson Mll.)

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Cosson Mill is located in Walton County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Walton County: Covington (AL), Geneva (AL), Bay, Holmes, Okaloosa & Washington.

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

  • Walton County     (The home county of Cosson Mill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • De Funiak Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Argyle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Mossy Head
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Pleasant Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
    • Union
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Union is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Portland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Portland is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
    • Knox Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Freeport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Paxton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Santa Rosa Beach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Point Washington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sandestin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • The Village of Baytowne Wharf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Holmes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • Ponce de Leon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Cerrogordo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
    • Westville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Izagora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
    • Bonifay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Okaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • Niceville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden City is located in Okaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Svea
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Svea is located in Okaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
    • Valparaiso
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Crestview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Laurel Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Eglin Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Eglin Village is located in Okaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglin Village
    • Destin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Destin is located in Okaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Destin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Destin <1>
    • Milligan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Lake Lorraine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Lorraine is located in Okaloosa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lorraine
    • Shalimar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Baker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • Coosada Old Town ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Coosada Old Town is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosada Old Town
    • Millers Ferry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
    • Caryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Five Points
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Five Points is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
    • Ebro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ebro is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ebro <1>
    • Vernon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Covington County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • Florala
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>
    • Lockhart
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Lockhart is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
  • Geneva County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cosson Mill, with the one closest to Cosson Mill listed first.
    • Samson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Samson is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,853 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Samson <1>
    • Geneva
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Geneva is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geneva <1>
    • Eunola ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Eunola is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eunola

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

Cemeteries Near Cosson Mill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cosson Mill.

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 Cosson Mill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • New Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ray Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hewas Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Crowder Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hatcher Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Black Oak Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Ponce de Leon Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Redbay Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (68 more) ...
    • Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Dorcas Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)

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>

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

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

  • Eucheeanna
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Eucheeanna is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eucheeanna
  • Argyle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Mossy Head
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Ealum
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Ealum is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ealum
  • Union
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Union is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
  • Portland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Portland is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
  • Knox Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
  • Freeport
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Gordon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gordon is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
  • Ponce de Leon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Redbay
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Redbay is located in Walton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbay
  • Cerrogordo
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Westville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Millers Ferry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
    • Florala
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Cosson Mill ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cosson Mill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cosson Mill, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cosson Mill.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Cosson Mill:

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 Cosson Mill, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cosson Mill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.