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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 Donegal (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 Donegal. 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 Parishes/Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 parishes/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 south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring parishes/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Donegal is located in Wilkinson County.

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 Wilkinson County: Concordia (LA), East Feliciana (LA), West Feliciana (LA), Adams, Amite & Franklin.

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

  • Wilkinson County     (The home county of Donegal)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Woodville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Turnbull
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
    • Wilkinson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilkinson is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinson
    • Artonish
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
    • Whitaker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Whitaker is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
    • Centreville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Rosetta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosetta is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosetta
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Cloverdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cloverdale is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Jeannette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jeannette is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
  • Amite County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Gloster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Crosby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bewelcome
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bewelcome is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bewelcome
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Garden City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Garden City is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Knoxville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Knoxville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
  • Avoyelles Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Simmesport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Odenburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
  • Concordia Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Fairview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairview is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Bougere
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bougere is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
    • Acme
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • East Baton Rouge Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Port Hudson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Port Hudson is located in East Baton Rouge Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Hudson
    • Zachary
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Zachary is located in East Baton Rouge Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zachary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zachary <1>
  • East Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Norwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Norwood is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwood <1>
    • Jackson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jackson is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,707 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>
    • Wilson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Wilson is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilson <1>
    • Bells Store ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Bells Store is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Store
    • Ethel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Clinton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Clinton is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <1>
    • Lindsay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Lindsay is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsay
    • Woodland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Woodland is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • Slaughter
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Slaughter is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 882 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Slaughter <1>
    • Troy ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Troy is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
  • Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Smithland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
    • Williamsport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
    • Innis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lettsworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Batchelor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • New Roads
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • New Roads is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Roads
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Roads <1>
    • Patin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Patin is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patin
    • Ventress
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Morganza
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Morganza is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganza
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 577 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morganza <1>
    • Legonier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
    • Dupont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Hermitage
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Hermitage is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
    • Glynn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Saint Landry Parish (LA)
    • Elba
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Elba is located in Saint Landry Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
  • West Baton Rouge Parish (LA)
    • Arbroth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Arbroth is located in West Baton Rouge Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbroth
  • West Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donegal, with the one closest to Donegal listed first.
    • Weyanoke
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wakefield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Converse ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
    • Rogillioville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
    • Angola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Tunica
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bains
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
    • Saint Francisville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Donegal ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Donegal.

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 Donegal - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Donegal covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Dawson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. John Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Liddell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Grimes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Edgefield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Evans Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Cedar Rest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Joor Collens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joor Collens Cemetery
    • The Joor Collens Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ioor Collens Cemetery
    • Ioor Collins Cemetery
    • Joor Collins Cemetery
  • Arcole Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • McCausland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Powell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (364 more) ...
    • Bowling Green Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Currier Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sweeney Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<2>

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

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

  • Turnbull
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
  • Woodville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pinckneyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinckneyville is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
  • Laurel Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Laurel Hill is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
  • Fort Adams
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Fort Adams is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Adams
  • Converse ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
  • Angola
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Rowes Landing
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowes Landing is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Landing
  • Wilkinson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilkinson is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinson
  • Artonish
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Artonish is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
  • Norwood
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Norwood is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwood <1>
  • Whitaker
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Whitaker is located in Wilkinson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Black Hawk
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Black Hawk is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hawk
    • Doloroso
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Doloroso is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doloroso
    • Kienstra
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Kienstra is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kienstra

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

Newspapers Published in Donegal ...

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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Donegal.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Donegal, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Donegal.

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 Donegal:

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>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 Donegal, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Donegal) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.