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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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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 Oakdale (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 Oakdale. 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 southeast 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 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.

Oakdale is located in Jackson 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 Jackson County: Geneva (AL), Houston (AL), Bay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Holmes, Liberty, Washington & Seminole (GA).

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Oakdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Marianna
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cypress
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Grand Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Greenwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Two Egg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Two Egg is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Egg
    • Inwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Inwood is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
    • Cottondale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Alford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Steele City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Steele City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steele City
    • Bascom
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Butler ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Butler is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
    • Parramore ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Parramore is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parramore
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Fountain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Youngstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Altha
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ocheesee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Ocheesee is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocheesee
    • Chipola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Chipola is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
    • Clarksville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Blountstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • McNeal ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • McNeal is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNeal
    • Marysville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Marysville is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
    • Kinard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Gadsden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Chattahoochee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • River Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • River Junction is located in Gadsden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Junction
    • Sycamore
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Sycamore is located in Gadsden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
    • Greensboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Holmes County
    • Bonifay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Bristol
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Estiffanulga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Estiffanulga is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estiffanulga
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Chipley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wausau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Brock Crossroad
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Brock Crossroad is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock Crossroad
  • Houston County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Cottonwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Madrid
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Madrid is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 293 people
    • Hodgesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hodgesville is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodgesville
    • Gordon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Gordon is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • Keyton's
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Keyton's is located in Houston County (AL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyton's
  • Decatur County (GA)
    • Recovery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Recovery is located in Decatur County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Recovery
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 33,015 people
  • Early County (GA)
    • Jakin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jakin is located in Early County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jakin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jakin <1>
  • Seminole County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Butlers Ferry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Butlers Ferry is located in Seminole County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butlers Ferry
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,759 people
    • Steam Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Steam Mill is located in Seminole County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steam Mill
    • Reynoldsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Reynoldsville is located in Seminole County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 960 people
    • Donalsonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Iron City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Oakdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakdale.

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 Oakdale - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Grant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Jerusalem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Sims Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Braxton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Little Rocky Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pelt Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Elder Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Logan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Poplar Spring Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Dyke Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (129 more) ...
    • Roulhac Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lipford Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pledger Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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 Oakdale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oakdale.

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

  • Marianna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cypress
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Alliance
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Alliance is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alliance
  • Greenwood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Inwood
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Inwood is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
  • Cottondale
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ocheesee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ocheesee is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocheesee
  • Chipola
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Chipola is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
  • Selman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Selman is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selman
  • Sneads
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Bascom
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Rock Bluff
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Bluff is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Bluff
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Blountstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • River Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • River Junction is located in Gadsden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Junction
    • Chattahoochee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Oakdale ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakdale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oakdale, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oakdale.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Oakdale:

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 Oakdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Oakdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.