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 Mendenhall (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 Mendenhall. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.
Mendenhall is located in Simpson County and is the County Seat.
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 Simpson County: Copiah, Covington, Hinds, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Rankin & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Mendenhall. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mendenhall:
- Simpson County (The home county of Mendenhall)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- D'Lo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Sanatorium
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sanatorium is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanatorium
- Braxton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- Westville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Westville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Magee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Coats
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coats is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
- Shivers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shivers is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
- Jaynesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
- Copiah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Georgetown
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Georgetown is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Hopewell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hopewell is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Sardis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sardis is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
- Crystal Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Covington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Mount Olive
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Arbo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Arbo is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbo
- Collins
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Williamsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Williamsburg is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
- Hot Coffee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hot Coffee is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Coffee
- Kola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kola is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Terry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Byram
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Choctaw Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Choctaw Village is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Village
- Jackson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Davis County
- Prentiss
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- New Hebron
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Grange ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Grange is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
- Hooker
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hooker is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Silver Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tryus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tryus is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
- Rosella
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rosella is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
- Rankin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Cato
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cato is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cato
- Puckett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Puckett is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puckett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
- Galilee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Galilee is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galilee
- King
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- King is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Florence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Whites
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Clear Branch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Clear Branch is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Alonzo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Alonzo is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alonzo
- Greenfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Brandon
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Pelahatchie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Pearson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Richland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Cooperville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cooperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperville
- Hunter Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hunter Town is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Town
- Morton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Daniel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Daniel is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
- Polkville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Polkville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 819 people
- Mize
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Raleigh
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Trenton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Trenton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Bezer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Bezer is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bezer
- Burns
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Burns is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
- Mineral Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mineral Springs is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
- Taylorsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Sylvarena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sylvarena is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvarena
- Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mendenhall, see our County-by-County Page for Mendenhall.
Cemeteries Near Mendenhall ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mendenhall.
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 Mendenhall - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mendenhall covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- Finley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Poplar Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- D'Lo Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Merit Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ross Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sinclair Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bethany Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Everett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Athens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens Cemetery
- The Athens Cemetery has also been known as:
- Athens Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2167119 <2>
- Zion Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (510 more) ...
- St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Gum Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Old Gum Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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 Mendenhall in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mendenhall.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mendenhall, with the one closest to Mendenhall listed first.
- D'Lo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Everett
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Everett is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everett
- Westville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Westville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Braxton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- Cato
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cato is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cato
- Puckett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Puckett is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puckett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
- Magee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Johns
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Johns is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns
- Harrisville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Harrisville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisville
- Shivers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shivers is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
- Gunn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Gunn is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunn
- Jaynesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Daniel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Daniel is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
- Dobson ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Dobson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobson
- Thomasville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Thomasville is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mendenhall. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mendenhall.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mendenhall ...
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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mendenhall.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mendenhall. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mendenhall and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mendenhall.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4> of Mendenhall.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Mendenhall:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Simpson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Copiah County
- Covington County
- Hinds County
- Jefferson Davis County
- Lawrence County
- Rankin County
- Scott County
- Smith 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 Mendenhall, 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 from Point A (ie- Mendenhall) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |