RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Mississippi >> Pike County >> Irene >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Irene (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 Irene. 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/Parishes ...

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

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest 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 north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties/parishes 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

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

Irene is located in Pike 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 Pike County: Tangipahoa (LA), Washington (LA), Amite, Lincoln & Walthall.

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

  • Pike County     (The home county of Irene)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Magnolia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Bear Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bear Town is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Town
    • McComb
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Chatawa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Chatawa is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
    • Bacots
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Bacots is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bacots
    • Summit
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Osyka
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Holmesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Topisaw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
    • Smithburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Smithburg is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
  • Amite County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • McElveen
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • McElveen is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElveen
    • Glading
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Glading is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glading
    • Huron
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Huron is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
    • Thompson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Thompson is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Gillsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gillsburg is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillsburg
    • Brookside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Brookside is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Mount Olive
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Olive is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Liberty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Liberty is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
    • O'Neil
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • O'Neil is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neil
    • Bewelcome
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Bewelcome is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bewelcome
    • Gloster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • McCall Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bude
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bude is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bude
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bude <1>
    • Eddiceton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Eddiceton is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddiceton
    • Meadville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lawrence County
    • Verna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Verna is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Norfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Norfield is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfield
    • Wellman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wellman is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
    • Cobbs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Cobbs is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs
    • Brookhaven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Walthall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Tylertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Sartinville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville
  • East Feliciana Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Troy ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Troy is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
    • Woodland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodland is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
  • Saint Helena Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Chipola
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Chipola is located in Saint Helena Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
    • Greensburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Coleman Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Coleman Town is located in Saint Helena Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Town
  • Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Kentwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Kentwood is located in Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,452 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kentwood <1>
    • Tangipahoa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Fluker
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Wilmer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Wilmer is located in Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmer
    • Roseland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Roseland is located in Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,279 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roseland <1>
    • Amite City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Washington Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Mount Hermon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunny Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
    • Stoney Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Stoney Point is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Point

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

Cemeteries Near Irene ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Irene.

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

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

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

  • McCay Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Carter - Powell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Cook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Spinks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • DeKane Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Unity Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Guy Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Harrell - Martin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (864 more) ...
    • Sabine Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Powell Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Rose Bower Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Magnolia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fernwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Fernwood is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernwood
  • Huron
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Huron is located in Amite County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
  • McComb
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • East Fork
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • East Fork is located in Amite County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
  • Chatawa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatawa is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
  • Thompson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Thompson is located in Amite County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
  • Summit
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Gillsburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gillsburg is located in Amite County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillsburg
  • Osyka
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Auburn
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Auburn is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
  • Johnstons Station
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Johnstons Station is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstons Station
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Holmesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Smithdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Smithdale is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithdale
    • Liberty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Liberty is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people

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

Newspapers Published in Irene ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Irene.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Irene, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Irene.

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 helpful 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 Irene:

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>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.
<3>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 Irene, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Irene) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.