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 Lessley (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 Lessley. 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 Parishes/Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring parishes/counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast 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 north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring parishes/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 parishes/counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Lessley is located in Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County: Concordia (LA), East Feliciana (LA), West Feliciana (LA), Adams, Amite & Franklin.
Below are the parishes/counties that are near Lessley. For each of these parishes/counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lessley:
- Wilkinson County (The home county of Lessley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Woodville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Artonish
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Artonish is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
- Wilkinson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wilkinson is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinson
- Turnbull
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
- Whitaker
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Whitaker is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
- Centreville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rosetta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rosetta is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosetta
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Cloverdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cloverdale is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Jeannette
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jeannette is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeannette
- Carthage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Carthage is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
- Natchez
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Washington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Washington is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Amite County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Crosby
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Gloster
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bewelcome
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bewelcome is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bewelcome
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Garden City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Garden City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Knoxville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Knoxville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- White Apple
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- White Apple is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Apple
- Avoyelles Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Simmesport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Odenburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Odenburg is located in Avoyelles Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odenburg
- Bordelonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Catahoula Parish (LA)
- Parhams
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Parhams is located in Catahoula Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
- Concordia Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Fairview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Bougere
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bougere is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
- Acme
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Armagh
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Armagh is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armagh
- Monterey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Monterey is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Vidalia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ridgecrest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Ridgecrest is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
- East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Norwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Norwood is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norwood <1>
- Wilson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 546 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilson <1>
- Jackson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,707 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>
- Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Lettsworth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Smithland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Smithland is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithland
- Williamsport
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsport is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
- Innis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Legonier
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Legonier is located in Pointe Coupee Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legonier
- Batchelor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Morganza
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- West Feliciana Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Weyanoke
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Angola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tunica
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Converse ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Converse is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
- Wakefield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rogillioville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rogillioville is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogillioville
- Bains
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bains is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bains
- Saint Francisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lessley, see our County-by-County Page for Lessley.
Cemeteries Near Lessley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lessley.
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 Lessley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lessley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Courtney Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Grimes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hays Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ward Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Singleton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Deer Park Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Woodstock Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Edgefield Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Joor Collens Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joor Collens Cemetery
- The Joor Collens Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ioor Collens Cemetery
- Ioor Collins Cemetery
- Joor Collins Cemetery
- Westberry Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Good Hope Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (361 more) ...
- Ft. Adams Baptist Mission Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- King Solomon Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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>
While we didn't find Lessley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lessley.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lessley, with the one closest to Lessley listed first.
- Fort Adams
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fort Adams is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Adams
- Woodville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Artonish
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Artonish is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artonish
- Pinckneyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Pinckneyville is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
- Doloroso
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Doloroso is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doloroso
- Kienstra
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kienstra is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kienstra
- Turnbull
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Turnbull is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
- Fairview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Wilkinson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wilkinson is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkinson
- Arnot
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Arnot is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnot
- Black Hawk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Black Hawk is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Hawk
- Bougere
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bougere is located in Concordia Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bougere
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Laurel Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Laurel Hill is located in West Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Darrington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Darrington is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darrington
- Angola
(16 miles [25.7 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 Lessley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lessley.
Newspapers Published in Lessley ...
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 Lessley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lessley, 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 Lessley.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Lessley:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Wilkinson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Amite County
- Franklin County
- Avoyelles Parish
- Catahoula Parish
- Concordia Parish
- East Feliciana Parish
- Pointe Coupee Parish
- West Feliciana Parish
- 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 Lessley, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Lessley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |