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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 Decatur (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 Decatur. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Decatur is located in Newton County and is the County Seat.

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 Newton County: Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Neshoba, Scott & Smith.

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

  • Newton County     (The home county of Decatur)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Stamper ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamper
      • Stamper is located in Newton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stamper
      • From Decatur to Stamper
    • Pine Bluff
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lucern
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Newton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Union
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Hickory
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Conehatta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Chunky
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Six Towns ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Six Towns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Towns
      • Six Towns is located in Newton County
  • Clarke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Enterprise
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Stonewall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pachuta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pachuta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Jasper County
  • Kemper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Rio
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
      • Rio is located in Kemper County
    • Spinks ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spinks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
      • Spinks is located in Kemper County
  • Lauderdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Collinsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
    • Suqualena
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Martin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hookston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
      • Hookston is located in Lauderdale County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hookston
      • From Decatur to Hookston
    • Lost Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Decatur to Lost Gap
    • Nellieburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nellieburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellieburg
      • Nellieburg is located in Lauderdale County
    • Bailey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Meridian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Daleville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Marion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
    • Lockhart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lockhart
      • From Decatur to Lockhart
    • Russell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Leake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • High Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for High Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Hill
      • High Hill is located in Leake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to High Hill
      • From Decatur to High Hill
    • Walnut Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Standing Pine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Standing Pine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standing Pine
      • Standing Pine is located in Leake County
    • Tuscola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Neshoba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Neshoba
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • House
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dixon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dixon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
      • Dixon is located in Neshoba County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dixon
      • From Decatur to Dixon
    • Tucker
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tucker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
      • Tucker is located in Neshoba County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tucker
      • From Decatur to Tucker
    • Dowdville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hope
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hope. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
      • Hope is located in Neshoba County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hope
      • From Decatur to Hope
    • Ocobla
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocobla. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
      • Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ocobla
      • From Decatur to Ocobla
    • Philadelphia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Laurel Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Pearl River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearl River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl River
      • Pearl River is located in Neshoba County
    • Bogue Chitto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bogue Chitto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
      • Bogue Chitto is located in Neshoba County
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Decatur, with the one closest to Decatur listed first.
    • Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sebastopol
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebastopol have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
      • Sebastopol is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebastopol <2>
    • Forest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forest
      • From Decatur to Forest
    • Harperville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Clifton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clifton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clifton
      • From Decatur to Clifton
    • Raworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cash
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cash. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
      • Cash is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cash
      • From Decatur to Cash
    • Kalem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Hunter Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Town
      • Hunter Town is located in Scott County

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

Cemeteries Near Decatur ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Decatur.

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

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

  • Decatur Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Decatur Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Hollingsworth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollingsworth Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hollingsworth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newton County Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bufkin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Brand Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brand Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brand Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Doolittle Confederate Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Doolittle Confederate Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Doolittle Confederate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Norman Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Norman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Norman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (260 more) ...
    • Baptist Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baptist Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Masonic Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Vernon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Decatur had a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Decatur had a population of 1,733 people.

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

  • Stamper ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • 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.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamper
    • Stamper is located in Newton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Stamper
    • From Decatur to Stamper
  • Roscoe ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roscoe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Roscoe is located in Newton County
  • Newton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Lucern
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Hickory
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Union
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Lawrence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
    • Lawrence is located in Newton County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawrence <2>
  • Conehatta
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Battlefield ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Battlefield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battlefield
    • Battlefield is located in Newton County
  • Prospect
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prospect have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Prospect is located in Newton County
  • Lake
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • House
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Garlandsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Collinsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <2>
    • Sebastopol
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sebastopol have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
      • Sebastopol is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sebastopol <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Decatur ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Decatur.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Decatur. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Decatur and those printed in the larger area surrounding Decatur.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5> of Decatur.

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 either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Decatur:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Decatur) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Decatur. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.4390, Longitude: -89.1097    
<6>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 Decatur, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025