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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 Jefferson (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 Jefferson. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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/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 south 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.

Jefferson is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Tensas (LA), Adams, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin & Lincoln.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Jefferson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Fayette
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Harriston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Lick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Red Lick is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lick
    • Rodney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Rodney is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Selma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Selma is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
    • Jeannette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jeannette is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
    • Washington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Washington is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
    • Natchez
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Cloverdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cloverdale is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Carthage
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Carthage is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
  • Amite County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • O'Neil
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • O'Neil is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neil
    • Crosby
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Mount Olive
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Olive is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Brookside
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brookside is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Bewelcome
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bewelcome is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bewelcome
  • Claiborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Westside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Westside is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside
    • Port Gibson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Grand Gulf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf
    • Ingleside
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ingleside is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
    • Saint Elmo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Saint Elmo is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
    • Willows
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Willows is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willows
    • Carlisle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Carlisle is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
  • Copiah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Allen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Allen is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
    • Bowerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Bowerton is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerton
    • Myles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Myles is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myles
    • Glancy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Glancy is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glancy
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Hamburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hamburg is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
    • Roxie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Meadville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • White Apple
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • White Apple is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Apple
    • Eddiceton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Eddiceton is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddiceton
    • Bude
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • McCall Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Knoxville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Knoxville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
    • Garden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Garden City is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Caseyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Caseyville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseyville
    • Cobbs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Cobbs is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs
  • Wilkinson County
    • Rosetta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Rosetta is located in Wilkinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosetta
  • Concordia Parish (LA)
    • Vidalia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Vidalia is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vidalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vidalia <1>
  • Tensas Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
    • Saint Joseph
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Waterproof
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Yucatan Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Yucatan Landing is located in Tensas Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan Landing

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

Cemeteries Near Jefferson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jefferson.

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

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

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

  • Puffel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Montgomery Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Armstrong Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Owens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bolls Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Old Gravel Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Holly Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Greendale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Whiten Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Sims Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (419 more) ...
    • Old Rose Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Oldenburg Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Dillon Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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 Jefferson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Jefferson.

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

  • McNair
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • McNair is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNair
  • Harriston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Fayette
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Stonington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Stonington is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonington
  • Hamburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamburg is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
  • Stampley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Stampley is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stampley
  • Red Lick
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Red Lick is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lick
  • Orange
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Orange is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
  • Union Church
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Union Church is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Church
  • Roxie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Veto
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Veto is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veto
  • McBride
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • McBride is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cannonsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Cannonsburg is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannonsburg
    • Meadville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Russum
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Russum is located in Claiborne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russum

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

Newspapers Published in Jefferson ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jefferson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jefferson, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jefferson.

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 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 Jefferson:

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