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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 Bonita (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 Bonita. 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 doctors 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.

Bonita is located in Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County: Choctaw (AL), Sumter (AL), Clarke, Kemper & Newton.

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

  • Lauderdale County     (The home county of Bonita)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Meridian
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Marion
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Russell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Lauderdale County
    • Vimville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
      • Vimville is located in Lauderdale County
    • Bailey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Lauderdale County
    • Nellieburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Lost Gap
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lost Gap. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Gap
      • Lost Gap is located in Lauderdale County
    • Hookston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hookston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
      • Hookston is located in Lauderdale County
    • Increase
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Increase
      • Increase is located in Lauderdale County
      • Increase has also been known as:
      • Causeyville
    • Lockhart
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lockhart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
    • Suqualena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suqualena
      • Suqualena is located in Lauderdale County
    • Smith
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
      • Smith is located in Lauderdale County
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Enterprise
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
      • Enterprise is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Enterprise <1>
    • Stonewall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewall
      • Stonewall is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 946 people
    • Quitman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quitman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quitman
      • Quitman is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,041 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quitman <1>
    • Pachuta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pachuta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pachuta
      • Pachuta is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
    • De Soto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
      • De Soto is located in Clarke County
    • Junction City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
      • Junction City is located in Clarke County
    • Barnett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barnett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
      • Barnett is located in Clarke County
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Fellowship ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fellowship. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellowship
      • Fellowship is located in Jasper County
      • Former name for Fellowship:
      • Masengale
      • Fellowship has also been known as:
      • Old Fellowship
    • Orange
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
      • Orange is located in Jasper County
    • Rose Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
      • Rose Hill is located in Jasper County
    • Penantly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penantly
      • Penantly is located in Jasper County
    • Garlandsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garlandsville
      • Garlandsville is located in Jasper County
  • Kemper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Rio
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
      • Rio is located in Kemper County
    • Narkeeta ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Porterville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
      • Porterville is located in Kemper County
    • De Kalb
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Sucarnoochee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sucarnoochee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sucarnoochee
      • Sucarnoochee is located in Kemper County
    • Spinks ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spinks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
      • Spinks is located in Kemper County
    • Electric Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electric Mills
      • Electric Mills is located in Kemper County
  • Neshoba County
    • House
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
      • House is located in Neshoba County
  • Newton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Chunky
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Hickory
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
      • Hickory is located in Newton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 515 people
    • Decatur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Newton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Stamper ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stamper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamper
      • Stamper is located in Newton County
    • Union
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Bluff
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Bluff
      • Pine Bluff is located in Newton County
  • Choctaw County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Pushmataha
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pushmataha
      • Pushmataha is located in Choctaw County (AL)
    • Cromwell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cromwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Cromwell is located in Choctaw County (AL)
    • Lisman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
      • Lisman is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
    • Jachin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jachin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jachin
      • Jachin is located in Choctaw County (AL)
  • Sumter County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonita, with the one closest to Bonita listed first.
    • Cuba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Sumter County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 287 people
    • Kinterbish
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinterbish
      • Kinterbish is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Ward
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
      • Ward is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • York
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Intercourse
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Intercourse
      • Intercourse is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Boyd
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Derby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Derby is located in Sumter County (AL)
    • Sledge ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sledge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sledge
      • Sledge is located in Sumter County (AL)

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

Cemeteries Near Bonita ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bonita.

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beth Israel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beth Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McLemore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLemore Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McLemore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tabernacle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabernacle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Luke Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Long Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (262 more) ...
    • Old Marion Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Confederate Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Confederate Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Confederate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Semmes Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Meridian
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Russell
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Russell is located in Lauderdale County
  • Vimville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vimville
    • Vimville is located in Lauderdale County
  • Lost Gap
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lost Gap. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Gap
    • Lost Gap is located in Lauderdale County
  • Bailey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Bailey is located in Lauderdale County
  • Topton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topton
    • Topton is located in Lauderdale County
  • Hookston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hookston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
    • Hookston is located in Lauderdale County
  • Lockhart
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lockhart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
    • Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
  • Graham
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Graham is located in Lauderdale County
  • Whynot
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whynot
    • Whynot is located in Lauderdale County
  • Lizelia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lizelia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lizelia
    • Lizelia is located in Lauderdale County
  • Roy
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
    • Roy is located in Clarke County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Kewanee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kewanee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kewanee
      • Kewanee is located in Lauderdale County
    • Collinsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Energy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Energy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Energy
      • Energy is located in Clarke County

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

Newspapers Published in Bonita ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bonita.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bonita, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bonita.

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 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 Bonita:

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

The official website for Lauderdale County: www.lauderdalecounty.org/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Bonita, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bonita) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bonita. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.3654, Longitude: -88.6659       In this case, the coordinates for Bonita have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025