Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Howell. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Howell to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Howell, please Contact Us.
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 Howell (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 Howell. 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 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 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 counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Although our information shows that the community of Howell is historic, it would have been located within present day Rankin 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 Rankin County: Copiah, Hinds, Madison, Scott, Simpson & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Howell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Howell:
- Rankin County (The home county of Howell)
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Pearson
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Pearl
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Greenfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Richland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flowood
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Brandon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Florence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- King
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- King is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Whites
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Clear Branch
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Clear Branch is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Fannin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fannin is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
- Alonzo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alonzo is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alonzo
- Cato
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cato is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cato
- Copiah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Hopewell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hopewell is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Crystal Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Georgetown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Georgetown is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Jackson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Choctaw Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Choctaw Village is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Village
- Byram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- North Town Plaza
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- North Town Plaza is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Town Plaza
- Terry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Clinton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Midway
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Midway is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Palestine
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Palestine is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Raymond
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Bolton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bolton is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
- Oakley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Oakley is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Brownsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Brownsville is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Thompsonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Thompsonville is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Ridgeland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Madison
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Twelve Oaks
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Twelve Oaks is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Oaks
- Mannsdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mannsdale is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannsdale
- Madisonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Madisonville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
- Flora
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Adelle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Adelle is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelle
- Canton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Maris Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Maris Town is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maris Town
- Kearney Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kearney Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney Park
- Mill Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mill Town is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
- Cobbville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cobbville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbville
- Sharon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Sharon is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Cooperville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cooperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperville
- Branch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Branch is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Morton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hunter Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hunter Town is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Town
- Simpson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Braxton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- D'Lo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Mendenhall
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Westville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Westville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Sanatorium
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sanatorium is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanatorium
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Daniel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Daniel is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
- Polkville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Polkville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 819 people
- Trenton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Trenton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Howell, see our County-by-County Page for Howell.
Cemeteries Near Howell ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howell.
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 Howell - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Howell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Mt. Elam Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Old Sea Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pearson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Richland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flora Hills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Briar Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sandhill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Drakes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (313 more) ...
- St. Matthew Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bailey Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cleary Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.
While we didn't find Howell in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Howell.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Howell, with the one closest to Howell listed first.
- Pearson
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Greenfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Monterey
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Monterey is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Jackson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Brandon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Thomasville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Thomasville is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Van Winkle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Van Winkle is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Winkle
- Tougaloo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- King
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- King is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Whites
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Rankin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Rankin is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
- Dobson ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dobson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobson
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Cynthia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cynthia is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cynthia
- McRaven
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- McRaven is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRaven
- Terry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Howell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Howell.
Newspapers Published in Howell ...
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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howell.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Howell, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Howell.
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 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 Howell:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Rankin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Copiah County
- Hinds County
- Madison County
- Scott County
- Simpson County
- Smith County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Howell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Howell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |