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 Cleveland (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 Cleveland. 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 doctors and 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.
Cleveland is located in Bolivar County and is the County Seat.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Bolivar County: Desha (AR), Coahoma, Sunflower & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Cleveland. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cleveland:
- Bolivar County (The home county of Cleveland)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Renova
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Renova is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
- Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
- Boyle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Merigold
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Victor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Victor is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
- Pace
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pace is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
- Mound Bayou
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Shaw
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Shaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,655 people
- Winstonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Winstonville is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Mound City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Mound City is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
- Longshot
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Longshot is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longshot
- Choctaw
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Beulah
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Beulah is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Coahoma County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Roundaway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Roundaway is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundaway
- Africa ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Africa is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Africa
- Dublin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dublin is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Claremont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Claremont is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Sunflower Landing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Sunflower Landing is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower Landing
- Hopson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hopson is located in Coahoma County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopson
- Leflore County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- McNutt
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- McNutt is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNutt
- Schlater
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Schlater is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schlater
- Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
- Minter City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Minter City is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minter City
- Sunnyside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sunnyside is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Shellmound
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Shellmound is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellmound
- Itta Bena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Money
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Money is located in Leflore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Sunflower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Halstead
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Halstead is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halstead
- White City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- White City is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Ruleville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Drew
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Doddsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Doddsville is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Roundaway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Roundaway is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundaway
- Whitney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Whitney is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Quiver ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Quiver is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiver
- Faisonia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Faisonia is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faisonia
- Sunflower
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sunflower is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- Heathman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Heathman is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathman
- Indianola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Tallahatchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Glendora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Albin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Albin is located in Tallahatchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albin
- Sumner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sumner is located in Tallahatchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Tutwiler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Webb
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Webb is located in Tallahatchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
- Swan Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Swan Lake is located in Tallahatchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Lake
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Helm
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Helm is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helm
- Napanee
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Napanee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napanee
- Dunleith
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Dunleith is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunleith
- Stoneville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stoneville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
- Leland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Metcalfe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Metcalfe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalfe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Greenville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Desha County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Napoleon ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Napoleon is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
- Snow Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Snow Lake is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Lake
- Arkansas City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cleveland, see our County-by-County Page for Cleveland.
Cemeteries Near Cleveland ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cleveland.
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 Cleveland - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cleveland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- New Cleveland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Chrisman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Cleveland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Beaver Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Delta Heights Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Renova Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Brown Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fairview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Poplar Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Merigold Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- New Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- St. Peter Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- El Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Moorehouse Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cleveland had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Cleveland had a population of 10,846 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cleveland, with the one closest to Cleveland listed first.
- Boyle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Renova
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Renova is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renova
- Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
- O'Reilly
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- O'Reilly is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Reilly
- Merigold
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Lehrton ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lehrton is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehrton
- Mound Bayou
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Shaw
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Shaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,655 people
- Mound City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Mound City is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
- Choctaw
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Quiver ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Quiver is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiver
- Christmas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Christmas is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas
- Shelby
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Lobdell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Lobdell is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
- Dahomy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Dahomy is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
- Benoit
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cleveland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cleveland.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Cleveland ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cleveland.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Cleveland. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Cleveland and those printed in the larger area surrounding Cleveland.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<4> of Cleveland.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Cleveland:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Bolivar County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coahoma County
- Leflore County
- Sunflower County
- Tallahatchie County
- Washington County
- Desha County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Cleveland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cleveland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |