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 Lake Vista (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 Lake Vista. 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 Lake Vista ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Lake Vista: Lk. Vista
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Lake Vista. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Lake Vista.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Lake Vista is located in Bolivar 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 Bolivar County: Desha (AR), Coahoma, Sunflower & Washington.
Below are the counties that are near Lake Vista. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lake Vista:
- Bolivar County (The home county of Lake Vista)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Scott
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Scott is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
- Mound Landing
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mound Landing is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Landing
- Grapeland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Grapeland is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapeland
- Benoit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lamont
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lamont is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
- Dahomy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dahomy is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
- Eutaw
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Eutaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
- Longshot
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Longshot is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longshot
- Christmas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Christmas is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas
- Beulah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Beulah is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Choctaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Mound City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mound City is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
- Shaw
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Shaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,655 people
- Sunflower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Heathman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Heathman is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathman
- Faisonia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Faisonia is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faisonia
- Halstead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Halstead is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halstead
- White City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- White City is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Roundaway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Roundaway is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundaway
- Indianola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- New Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- New Town is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Ruleville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sunflower
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sunflower is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunflower
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- Baird
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Baird is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baird
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Metcalfe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Metcalfe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalfe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Napanee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Napanee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napanee
- Greenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Helm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Helm is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helm
- Stoneville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stoneville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
- Leland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dunleith
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Dunleith is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunleith
- Wilmot
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Wilmot is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Arcola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Avon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Avon is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- James
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- James is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
- Forrest City ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Forrest City is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forrest City
- Chicot County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Dermott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lake Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Desha County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Arkansas City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Napoleon ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Napoleon is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
- Rohwer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- McArthur
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- McArthur is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McArthur
- Kelso
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kelso is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
- McGehee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Watson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Reed
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Reed is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- Hopedale ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hopedale is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
- Pea Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pea Ridge is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
- Pickens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pickens is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickens
- Drew County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Tillar
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tillar is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
- Winchester
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Winchester is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
- Jerome
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jerome is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Collins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Collins is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Selma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Selma is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lake Vista, see our County-by-County Page for Lake Vista.
Cemeteries Near Lake Vista ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lake Vista.
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 Lake Vista - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lake Vista covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Miles Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Ward Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Speckter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Burrus Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Parthenia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Cazy Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dickerson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Egypt Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Old Stone Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Williams Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dean Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (188 more) ...
- Asia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Eutaw Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Buckner Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Lake Vista had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lake Vista, with the one closest to Lake Vista listed first.
- Scott
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Scott is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
- Bolivar
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Bolivar is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Mound Landing
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mound Landing is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Landing
- Benoit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lamont
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lamont is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
- Dahomy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dahomy is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
- Eutaw
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Eutaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
- Lobdell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lobdell is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobdell
- Arkansas City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Christmas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Christmas is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas
- Magenta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Magenta is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magenta
- Greenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Choctaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Mound City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mound City is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
- Halley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Halley is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halley
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lake Vista. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lake Vista.
Newspapers Published in Lake Vista ...
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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lake Vista.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lake Vista, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lake Vista.
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 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 Lake Vista:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Bolivar County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Sunflower County
- Washington County
- Chicot County
- Desha County
- Drew 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 Lake Vista, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Lake Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |