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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 Goshen Springs (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 Goshen Springs. 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.

Name Variations for Goshen Springs ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Goshen Springs: Goshen Spgs. (or less commonly used: Goshen Spngs. or Goshen Sprngs.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 and hospitals 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.

Goshen Springs is located in Rankin 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 Rankin County: Copiah, Hinds, Madison, Scott, Simpson & Smith.

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

  • Rankin County     (The home county of Goshen Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goshen Springs, with the one closest to Goshen Springs listed first.
    • Sand Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Fannin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fannin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
      • Fannin is located in Rankin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fannin
      • From Goshen Springs to Fannin
    • Pelahatchie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Brandon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Flowood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowood
      • Flowood is located in Rankin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,556 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flowood <2>
    • Greenfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pearl
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearl have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
      • Pearl is located in Rankin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,560 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pearl <2>
    • Pearson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pearson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
      • Pearson is located in Rankin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pearson
      • From Goshen Springs to Pearson
    • Richland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Florence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Rankin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <2>
    • Cato
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Puckett
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Puckett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puckett
      • Puckett is located in Rankin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
  • Hinds County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goshen Springs, with the one closest to Goshen Springs listed first.
    • North Town Plaza
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Town Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Town Plaza
      • North Town Plaza is located in Hinds County
    • Jackson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Choctaw Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Choctaw Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Village
      • Choctaw Village is located in Hinds County
    • Clinton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton is located in Hinds County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,873 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <2>
    • Byram
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Holmes County
  • Leake County
  • Madison County
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goshen Springs, with the one closest to Goshen Springs listed first.
    • Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Ludlow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beach. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
      • Beach is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beach
      • From Goshen Springs to Beach
    • Morton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton
      • Morton is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morton <2>
    • Cooperville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cash
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • 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 Goshen Springs to Cash
    • Clifton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • 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 Goshen Springs to Clifton
    • Kalem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Raworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Hunter Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Harperville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Forest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Simpson County
    • Braxton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Braxton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
      • Braxton is located in Simpson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goshen Springs, with the one closest to Goshen Springs listed first.
    • Polkville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polkville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
      • Polkville is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 819 people
    • Daniel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Trenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trenton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
      • Trenton is located in Smith County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trenton
      • From Goshen Springs to Trenton
  • Yazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goshen Springs, with the one closest to Goshen Springs listed first.
    • Vaughan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vaughan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
      • Vaughan is located in Yazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vaughan
      • From Goshen Springs to Vaughan
    • Nod
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nod. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nod
      • Nod is located in Yazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nod
      • From Goshen Springs to Nod
    • Bentonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bentonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentonia
      • Bentonia is located in Yazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bentonia <2>
    • Evans
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
      • Evans is located in Yazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Evans
      • From Goshen Springs to Evans

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

Cemeteries Near Goshen Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Goshen Springs.

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 Goshen Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Goshen Springs Pilgrim Branch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goshen Springs Pilgrim Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goshen Springs Pilgrim Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Pisgah Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Pisgah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Pisgah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miracle Temple Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miracle Temple Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miracle Temple Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pisgah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fannin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fannin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fannin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fannin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fannin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fannin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fannin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fannin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fannin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McLaurin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLaurin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McLaurin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Helm Cemetery #1
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Helm Cemetery #1
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Helm Cemetery #1 have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shady Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shady Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shady Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • True Light Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the True Light Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the True Light Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (343 more) ...
    • Chaney Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chaney Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chaney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Galloway Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Galloway Family Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Galloway Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hollybush Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollybush Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hollybush 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Goshen Springs had a population of 53 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Fannin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fannin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
    • Fannin is located in Rankin County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fannin
    • From Goshen Springs to Fannin
  • Eureka
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
    • Eureka is located in Rankin County
  • Shoccoe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shoccoe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoccoe
    • Shoccoe is located in Madison County
  • Rankin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rankin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
    • Rankin is located in Rankin County
  • Pelahatchie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Canton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ludlow
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Sharon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Brandon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Cobbville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Tougaloo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tougaloo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tougaloo
    • Tougaloo is located in Hinds County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tougaloo <2>
  • Beach
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beach. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Beach is located in Scott County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Beach
    • From Goshen Springs to Beach
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Davis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Davis is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Davis
      • From Goshen Springs to Davis
    • Millville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
      • Millville is located in Madison County
    • Mannsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 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 Goshen Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Goshen Springs.

Newspapers Published in Goshen Springs ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Goshen Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Goshen Springs, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Goshen Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Goshen Springs:

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>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 Goshen Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Goshen Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Goshen Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.4705, Longitude: -89.9123       In this case, the coordinates for Goshen Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).