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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 De Soto (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 De Soto. 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 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.

De Soto is located in Clarke 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 Clarke County: Choctaw (AL), Jasper, Lauderdale & Wayne.

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

  • Clarke County     (The home county of De Soto)
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Quitman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quitman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Gin ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin
      • Gin is located in Clarke County
    • Shubuta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shubuta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shubuta
      • Shubuta is located in Clarke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
    • Junction City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
      • Junction City is located in Clarke County
    • Pachuta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pachuta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Barnett
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Barnett
      • From De Soto to Barnett
    • Stonewall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Jasper County
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Sandersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Errata
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Errata. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Errata
      • Errata is located in Jones County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Errata
      • From De Soto to Errata
    • Antioch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lauderdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Increase
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lost Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lost Gap
      • From De Soto to Lost Gap
    • Whynot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Vimville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Meridian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Nellieburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nellieburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellieburg
      • Nellieburg is located in Lauderdale County
    • Russell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Newton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Chunky
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hickory
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Matherville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Matherville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
      • Matherville is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Matherville
      • From De Soto to Matherville
    • Whistler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Whistler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistler
      • Whistler is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Whistler
      • From De Soto to Whistler
    • Waynesboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waynesboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynesboro
      • Waynesboro is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,866 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waynesboro <2>
    • Clara
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Robinsons Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Choctaw County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from De Soto, with the one closest to De Soto listed first.
    • Melvin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Choctaw County (AL)
    • Okatuppa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Okatuppa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okatuppa
      • Okatuppa is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Okatuppa
      • From De Soto to Okatuppa
    • Emory
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Emory. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
      • Emory is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Emory
      • From De Soto to Emory
    • Isney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Isney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
      • Isney is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Isney
      • From De Soto to Isney
    • Needham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needham
      • Needham is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
    • Gilbertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Toxey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toxey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxey
      • Toxey is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Aquilla
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aquilla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
      • Aquilla is located in Choctaw County (AL)
    • Souwilpa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Souwilpa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
      • Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Souwilpa
      • From De Soto to Souwilpa
    • Red Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Springs
      • Red Springs is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Springs
      • From De Soto to Red Springs
    • Pushmataha
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bolinger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolinger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolinger
      • Bolinger is located in Choctaw County (AL)
    • Silas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Silas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silas
      • Silas is located in Choctaw County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silas <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Silas
      • From De Soto to Silas
  • Washington County (AL)

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

Cemeteries Near De Soto ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of De Soto.

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

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

  • De Soto Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the De Soto Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the De Soto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Covington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Center Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sullers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sullers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sullers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Oak Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Confederate Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quitman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Bethea Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethea Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethea Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pisgah Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pisgah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pisgah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hepzibah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hepzibah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hepzibah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (265 more) ...
    • Heard Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heard Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Liberty Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cooper Chapel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 De Soto had a population of 258 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Quitman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quitman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Shubuta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shubuta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shubuta
    • Shubuta is located in Clarke County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
  • Carmichael
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmichael have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmichael
    • Carmichael is located in Clarke County
  • Pachuta
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pachuta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Barnett
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • 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
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Barnett
    • From De Soto to Barnett
  • Matherville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Matherville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
    • Matherville is located in Wayne County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Matherville
    • From De Soto to Matherville
  • Stonewall
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Vossburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Eucutta
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eucutta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eucutta
    • Eucutta is located in Wayne County
  • Enterprise
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Roy
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
    • Roy is located in Clarke County
  • Melvin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
    • Melvin is located in Choctaw County (AL)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Heidelberg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Boice
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boice have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boice
      • Boice is located in Wayne County
    • Energy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Energy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 De Soto. See our List of 1890's Communities around De Soto.

Newspapers Published in De Soto ...

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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around De Soto.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of De Soto, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for De Soto.

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 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 De Soto:

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

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 De Soto, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- De Soto) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in De Soto. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.9738, Longitude: -88.7172    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025