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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 Benson (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 Benson. 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.

Benson is located in Jones 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 Jones County: Clarke, Covington, Forrest, Jasper, Smith & Wayne.

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

  • Jones County     (The home county of Benson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Ellisville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Ovett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ovett
      • Ovett is located in Jones County
    • Antioch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Jones County
    • Laurel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Soso
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
      • Soso is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Amy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amy
      • Amy is located in Jones County
    • Errata
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Errata have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Errata
      • Errata is located in Jones County
    • Sandersville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
      • Sandersville is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 721 people
  • Covington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Lux
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lux
      • Lux is located in Covington County
    • Seminary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seminary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminary
      • Seminary is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seminary <1>
    • Hot Coffee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Coffee
      • Hot Coffee is located in Covington County
    • Kola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
      • Kola is located in Covington County
    • Collins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
      • Collins is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collins <1>
    • Williamsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Arbo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arbo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbo
      • Arbo is located in Covington County
    • Mount Olive
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Olive have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
      • Mount Olive is located in Covington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
  • Forrest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Petal
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petal
      • Petal is located in Forrest County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petal <1>
    • Goodluck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodluck
      • Goodluck is located in Forrest County
    • Hattiesburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • McLaurin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLaurin
      • McLaurin is located in Forrest County
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Moss
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss
      • Moss is located in Jasper County
      • Moss has also been known as:
      • Mossville
    • Stringer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Vernon ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Vernon is located in Jasper County
    • Heidelberg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Como
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
      • Lake Como is located in Jasper County
    • Acme ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Jasper County
    • Bay Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Springs
      • Bay Springs is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bay Springs <1>
    • Waldrup ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waldrup have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldrup
      • Waldrup is located in Jasper County
    • Stafford Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford Springs
      • Stafford Springs is located in Jasper County
    • Vossburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vossburg
      • Vossburg is located in Jasper County
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • West Hattiesburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Hattiesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
      • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
    • Sumrall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Purvis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Purvis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purvis
      • Purvis is located in Lamar County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Purvis <1>
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Richton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Augusta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Augusta
      • New Augusta is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Augusta <1>
    • Wingate
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
      • Wingate is located in Perry County
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Taylorsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylorsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
      • Taylorsville is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,241 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylorsville <1>
    • Mize
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mize have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mize
      • Mize is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mize <1>
    • Mineral Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
      • Mineral Springs is located in Smith County
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benson, with the one closest to Benson listed first.
    • Mulberry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Wayne County
    • Clara
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara
      • Clara is located in Wayne County

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

Newspapers Published in Benson ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Benson, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Benson.

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 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 Benson:

Cemeteries Near Benson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benson.

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

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

  • Pilgrim Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilgrim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilgrim Cemetery
  • Benson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benson Cemetery
  • Jordan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jordan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jordan Cemetery
  • Tularosa Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tularosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tularosa Cemetery
  • Shows Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shows Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shows Cemetery
  • Murphy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murphy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murphy Cemetery
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
  • Brown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
  • Ellisville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellisville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellisville Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Jordan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jordan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jordan Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 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
  • Continue List   (408 more) ...
    • Coltins Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coltins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coltins Cemetery
    • Hinton Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Anderson - Minter Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Anderson - Minter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson - Minter 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 Benson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Benson.

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

  • Ellisville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Moselle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moselle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moselle
    • Moselle is located in Jones County
  • Eastabuchie
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastabuchie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastabuchie
    • Eastabuchie is located in Forrest County
  • Laurel
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Soso
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soso
    • Soso is located in Jones County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Hattiesburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Amy
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amy
    • Amy is located in Jones County
  • Moscos
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscos
    • Moscos is located in Covington County
  • Gitano
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gitano have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gitano
    • Gitano is located in Jones County
  • Errata
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Errata have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Errata
    • Errata is located in Jones County
  • Sandersville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
    • Sandersville is located in Jones County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 721 people
  • Ora
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora
    • Ora is located in Covington County
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Taylorsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylorsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
      • Taylorsville is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,241 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylorsville <1>
    • Williamsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Bunker Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
      • Bunker Hill is located in Smith County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benson. 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Benson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Benson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5485, Longitude: -89.2189       In this case, the coordinates for Benson 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 Benson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024