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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 Chester (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 Chester. 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 and 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.

Chester is located in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County: Attala, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, Webster & Winston.

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

  • Choctaw County     (The home county of Chester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Williams
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
      • Williams is located in Choctaw County
    • Ackerman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Reform
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reform have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
      • Reform is located in Choctaw County
    • Weir
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weir have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weir
      • Weir is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weir <1>
    • Bankston ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bankston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
      • Bankston is located in Choctaw County
    • French Camp
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Camp
      • French Camp is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for French Camp <1>
  • Attala County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • McCool
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCool
      • McCool is located in Attala County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
    • Ethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
      • Ethel is located in Attala County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
    • Hesterville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hesterville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesterville
      • Hesterville is located in Attala County
    • Kosciusko
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Slate Spring
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate Spring
      • Slate Spring is located in Calhoun County
    • Slate Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slate Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate Springs
      • Slate Springs is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
  • Carroll County
    • Vaiden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaiden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaiden
      • Vaiden is located in Carroll County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 931 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vaiden <1>
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Pheba
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Beasley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
      • Beasley is located in Clay County
    • Cedar Bluff
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
    • Montpelier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montpelier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
      • Montpelier is located in Clay County
    • Griffith
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
      • Griffith is located in Clay County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Kilmichael
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilmichael
      • Kilmichael is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 538 people
    • Sweatman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweatman
      • Sweatman is located in Montgomery County
    • Winona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
      • Winona is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,830 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <1>
  • Oktibbeha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Sturgis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturgis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
      • Sturgis is located in Oktibbeha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <1>
    • Double Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Double Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Springs
      • Double Springs is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Bradley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Maben
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maben have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maben
      • Maben is located in Oktibbeha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
    • Longview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
      • Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Adaton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaton
      • Adaton is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Starkville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Clayton Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
      • Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Eupora
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eupora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eupora
      • Eupora is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,998 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eupora <1>
    • Sapa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sapa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapa
      • Sapa is located in Webster County
    • Mathiston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Walthall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthall
      • Walthall is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
    • Clarkson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
      • Clarkson is located in Webster County
    • Fame
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fame
      • Fame is located in Webster County
    • Montevista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montevista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevista
      • Montevista is located in Webster County
    • Hohenlinden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hohenlinden
      • Hohenlinden is located in Webster County
    • Mantee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
      • Mantee is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
  • Winston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Louisville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hinze
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinze
      • Hinze is located in Winston County
    • Vowell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowell
      • Vowell is located in Winston County
    • Noxapater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noxapater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noxapater
      • Noxapater is located in Winston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noxapater <1>
    • Plattsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsburg
      • Plattsburg is located in Winston County

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

Newspapers Published in Chester ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chester, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chester.

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 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 Chester:

Cemeteries Near Chester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chester.

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

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

  • Chester Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chester Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chester Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • New Zion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Zion Cemetery
  • South Union Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Union Cemetery
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lebanon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lebanon Cemetery
  • Nebo Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nebo Cemetery
  • Clear Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Springs Cemetery
  • Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
  • Fentress Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fentress Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fentress Cemetery
  • Enon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enon Cemetery
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
  • Pisgah Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pisgah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pisgah Cemetery
  • Continue List   (404 more) ...
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
    • Macedonia Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Macedonia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Macedonia Cemetery
    • Antiocho Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Chester had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Fentress
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fentress have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fentress
    • Fentress is located in Choctaw County
  • Ackerman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bywy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bywy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bywy
    • Bywy is located in Choctaw County
  • Reform
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reform have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
    • Reform is located in Choctaw County
  • Weir
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weir have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weir
    • Weir is located in Choctaw County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weir <1>
  • Bankston ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bankston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
    • Bankston is located in Choctaw County
  • French Camp
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Camp
    • French Camp is located in Choctaw County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for French Camp <1>
  • Grady
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grady have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
    • Grady is located in Webster County
  • Sturgis
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturgis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
    • Sturgis is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <1>
  • McCool
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCool
    • McCool is located in Attala County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
  • Huntsville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
    • Huntsville is located in Montgomery County
  • Eupora
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eupora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eupora
    • Eupora is located in Webster County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,998 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eupora <1>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Double Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Double Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Springs
      • Double Springs is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Sapa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sapa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapa
      • Sapa is located in Webster County
    • Stewart
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Stewart is located in Montgomery County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Chester. 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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3587, Longitude: -89.2384       In this case, the coordinates for Chester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Chester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024