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 Cottonwood (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 Cottonwood. 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 Parishes/Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home parish. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next parish to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the parish to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring parishes/counties instead of the parish in which they lived: their home parish contained property and probate records; the parish to the west contained birth and death records; the parish to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring parishes/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Cottonwood is located in East Carroll Parish.
To see how the shape of Louisiana's parishes may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following parishes adjoin and form the boundaries of East Carroll Parish: Chicot (AR), Madison, Richland, West Carroll, Issaquena (MS) & Warren (MS).
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Cottonwood. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cottonwood:
- East Carroll Parish (The home parish of Cottonwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Lake Providence
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Transylvania
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sondheimer
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Madison Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Omega
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Omega is located in Madison Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Ashly
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ashly is located in Madison Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashly
- West Carroll Parish
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Kilbourne
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Forest
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pioneer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fiske
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Fiske is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiske
- Darnell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Darnell is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darnell
- Epps
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Epps is located in West Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epps
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Epps <1>
- Ashley County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Wilmot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilmot is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Parkdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chicot County (AR)
- Eudora
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hinds County (MS)
- Delta City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Delta City is located in Hinds County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta City
- Humphreys County (MS)
- Louise
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Louise is located in Humphreys County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louise
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Issaquena County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Mayersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mayersville is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayersville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 517 people
- Tallula
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tallula is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallula
- Booth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Booth is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth
- Chotard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Chotard is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chotard
- Valley Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Park is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Park
- Sharkey County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Cary
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cary is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Lorenzen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lorenzen is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenzen
- Issaquena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Issaquena is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Issaquena
- Riverside Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Riverside Junction is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside Junction
- Rolling Fork
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Blanton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Blanton is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
- Mont Helena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Mont Helena is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Helena
- Onward
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Onward is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onward
- Anguilla
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Nitta Yuma
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Nitta Yuma is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nitta Yuma
- Smedes
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Smedes is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smedes
- Panther Burn
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Panther Burn is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther Burn
- Washington County (MS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Hampton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hampton is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Byrne City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Byrne City is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byrne City
- James
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- James is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
- Overby
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Overby is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overby
- Avon
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Avon is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Forrest City ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Forrest City is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forrest City
- Hollandale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Willet
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Willet is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willet
- Murphy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Murphy is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
- Arcola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Arcola is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Yazoo County (MS)
- Kearney
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Kearney is located in Yazoo County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cottonwood, see our Parish-by-Parish Page for Cottonwood.
Cemeteries Near Cottonwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cottonwood.
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 Cottonwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cottonwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Old St. Paul Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Tyrone Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Panola Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- King Solomon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Providence Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gailliard Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Heavenly Rest Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Old Sweet Canaan Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Way Way Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Star Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (72 more) ...
- Weathers Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Benjamin Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Danover Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Cottonwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Cottonwood.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cottonwood, with the one closest to Cottonwood listed first.
- Benham ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Benham is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benham
- Robertdale ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Robertdale is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertdale
- Mayersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mayersville is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayersville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 517 people
- Brunett ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brunett is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunett
- Lake Providence
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tallula
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tallula is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallula
- Pilcher Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pilcher Point is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilcher Point
- Shelburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Shelburn is located in East Carroll Parish
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburn
- Sterling ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sterling is located in Chicot County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
- Glen Allan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Allan is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Allan
- Cary
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cary is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Egremont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Egremont is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Grace
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grace is located in Issaquena County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
- Hampton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hampton is located in Washington County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Lorenzen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lorenzen is located in Sharkey County (MS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenzen
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cottonwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cottonwood.
Newspapers Published in Cottonwood ...
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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cottonwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cottonwood, 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 Cottonwood.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Cottonwood:
- Websites specific to Louisiana
- Pages specific to East Carroll Parish
- Genealogy information for nearby parishes
- Madison Parish
- West Carroll Parish
- Ashley County
- Chicot County
- Hinds County
- Humphreys County
- Issaquena County
- Sharkey County
- Washington County
- Yazoo County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Louisiana
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> | 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 Cottonwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Cottonwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |