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 Jonestown (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 Jonestown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Jonestown is located in Alcorn 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 Alcorn County: Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Hardeman (TN), Hardin (TN) & McNairy (TN).
Below are the counties that are near Jonestown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Jonestown:
- Alcorn County (The home county of Jonestown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Kossuth
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Allentown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Allentown is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
- Hightown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hightown is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightown
- Biggersville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Biggersville is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggersville
- Corinth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Searcy Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Searcy Town is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searcy Town
- Rienzi
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rienzi is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rienzi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 304 people
- Farmington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Farmington is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,160 people
- Glen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glen is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
- Glens
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glens is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glens
- Jacinto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jacinto is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacinto
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Canaan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Canaan is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Ashland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Itawamba County
- Kirkville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kirkville is located in Itawamba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkville
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Corrona
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Corrona is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corrona
- Boggan Bend
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Boggan Bend is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boggan Bend
- Guntown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Prentiss County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Pisgah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Pisgah is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Jumpertown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Jumpertown is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumpertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
- Blackland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Blackland is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackland
- Booneville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lake City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lake City is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Altitude
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Altitude is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altitude
- Geeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Geeville is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geeville
- Wheeler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Wheeler is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Baldwyn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Burton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Burton is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- New Site
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Site is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Site
- Marietta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Marietta is located in Prentiss County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
- Tippah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Tiplersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Tiplersville is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiplersville
- Walnut
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Falkner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Dumas
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dumas is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Ripley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Clarysville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clarysville is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarysville
- Whitten Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Whitten Town is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitten Town
- Blue Mountain
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Blue Mountain is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
- Lowrey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lowrey is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrey
- Gravestown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gravestown is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravestown
- Tishomingo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Burnsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Holcut
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Holcut is located in Tishomingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holcut
- Midway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Midway is located in Tishomingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Iuka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Iuka is located in Tishomingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,928 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iuka <1>
- Short
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Short is located in Tishomingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
- Paden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Paden is located in Tishomingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
- Tishomingo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Graham
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Graham is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
- Molino
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Molino is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Molino
- Alpine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Alpine is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
- Ellistown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ellistown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellistown
- Lauderdale County (AL)
- Haddock ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Haddock is located in Lauderdale County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddock
- Chester County (TN)
- Masseyville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Masseyville is located in Chester County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masseyville
- Hardeman County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Essary Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Essary Springs is located in Hardeman County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essary Springs
- Middleton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Rogers Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rogers Springs is located in Hardeman County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Springs
- Hornsby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hornsby is located in Hardeman County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Saulsbury
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Saulsbury is located in Hardeman County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulsbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Hardin County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Shiloh
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hamburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hamburg is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Nash Landing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Nash Landing is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Landing
- Slab Town ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Slab Town is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab Town
- Pittsburg Landing Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pittsburg Landing Ferry is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg Landing Ferry
- Estimated population in 2014: 555 people
- Pyburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pyburn is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyburn
- Nixon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Nixon is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
- Estimated population in 2014: 718 people
- White Sulphur ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- White Sulphur is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sulphur
- Walnut Grove ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut Grove is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Bruton Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bruton Branch is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruton Branch
- Gibbs ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gibbs is located in Hardin County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbs
- McNairy County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Chewalla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Chewalla is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewalla
- Guys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Guys is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
- Ramer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Caffey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Caffey is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caffey
- Eastview
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Eastview is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Michie
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Falcon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Falcon is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
- Tulu
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tulu is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulu
- Estimated population in 2014: 18,899 people
- Selmer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rose Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rose Creek is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Creek
- Stantonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stantonville is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stantonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
- Bethel Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Purdy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Purdy is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Jonestown, see our County-by-County Page for Jonestown.
Cemeteries Near Jonestown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jonestown.
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 Jonestown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Jonestown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Liberty African-American Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Oak Hill Church of Christ Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wheeler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Tuscumbia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dilworth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Cedar Mound Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Alcorn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (540 more) ...
- Dilworth Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Forrest Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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 Jonestown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Jonestown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Jonestown, with the one closest to Jonestown listed first.
- Kossuth
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hightown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hightown is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightown
- Theo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Theo is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theo
- Gift
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Gift is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gift
- Cuba
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Cuba is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Silver Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Springs is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs
- Corinth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wenasoga
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wenasoga is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenasoga
- Rienzi
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rienzi is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rienzi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 304 people
- Chewalla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Chewalla is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewalla
- Guys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Guys is located in McNairy County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
- Essary Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Essary Springs is located in Hardeman County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essary Springs
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Tiplersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Tiplersville is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiplersville
- Mitchell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell is located in Tippah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Glens
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glens is located in Alcorn County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glens
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Jonestown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jonestown.
Newspapers Published in Jonestown ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jonestown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jonestown, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jonestown.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Jonestown:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Alcorn County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benton County
- Itawamba County
- Lee County
- Prentiss County
- Tippah County
- Tishomingo County
- Union County
- Lauderdale County
- Chester County
- Hardeman County
- Hardin County
- McNairy County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
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 Jonestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 from Point A (ie- Jonestown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |