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 Palo Alto (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 Palo Alto. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Palo Alto is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Palo Alto. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Palo Alto:
- Clay County (The home county of Palo Alto)
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Abbott
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Siloam
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Griffith
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Cedar Bluff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Mhoons Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Beasley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Beasley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Una
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Una is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Montpelier
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Montpelier is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
- Whites
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- West Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pheba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vinton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Vardaman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Benela
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Benela is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benela
- Derma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Derma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 961 people
- Loyd
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Loyd is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyd
- Chickasaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Egypt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Egypt is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Woodland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Sycamore ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Sycamore is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Anchor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Anchor is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
- Houston
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Van Vleet
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Van Vleet is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Vleet
- Okolona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Thelma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Thelma is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thelma
- New Houlka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Houlka is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Houlka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 601 people
- Former names for New Houlka:
- Houlka
- Old Houlka
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Houlka <1>
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Reform
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Reform is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
- Williams
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Williams is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
- Holmes County
- Egypt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Egypt is located in Holmes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Lee County
- Shannon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Artesia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Artesia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Kolola Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Kolola Springs is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kolola Springs
- Bent Oak
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bent Oak is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Oak
- Columbus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Caledonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Crawford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- New Hope
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Muldon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Gibson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gibson is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Aberdeen
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hamilton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- New Wren
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- New Wren is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Wren
- Wren
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wren is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
- Acker ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Acker is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acker
- Cotton Gin Port ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cotton Gin Port is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Gin Port
- Amory
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nettleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hatley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hatley is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
- Noxubee County
- Fairport ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Fairport is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Oktibbeha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Clayton Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
- Starkville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Adaton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Adaton is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaton
- Sessums
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Maben
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Maben is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maben
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Longview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Double Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Double Springs is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Springs
- Bradley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Bradley is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Sturgis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pontotoc County
- Goodford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Goodford is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodford
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Mantee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Mantee is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Cumberland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Cumberland is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Clarkson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Clarkson is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Mathiston
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hohenlinden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hohenlinden is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hohenlinden
- Fame
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fame is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fame
- Sapa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Sapa is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapa
- Montevista
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Montevista is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevista
- Walthall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Walthall is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Eupora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Palo Alto, see our County-by-County Page for Palo Alto.
Cemeteries Near Palo Alto ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Palo Alto.
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 Palo Alto - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Palo Alto covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Chandler Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Abbott Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Watkins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Palo Alto Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mosley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shaffer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Siloam Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Robertson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rocky Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- McPherson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Old Montpelier Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cumberland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (285 more) ...
- Third Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Methodist Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Palo Alto had a population of 31 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Abbott
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Griffith
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Siloam
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Cairo
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cairo is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
- Cedar Bluff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Mhoons Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Beasley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Beasley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Una
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Una is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Montpelier
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Montpelier is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
- Muldon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Pheba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- McCondy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- McCondy is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCondy
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- West Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Whites
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Osborn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Osborn is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Palo Alto. See our List of 1890's Communities around Palo Alto.
Newspapers Published in Palo Alto ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Palo Alto.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Palo Alto, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Palo Alto.
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 Palo Alto:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Chickasaw County
- Choctaw County
- Holmes County
- Lee County
- Lowndes County
- Monroe County
- Noxubee County
- Oktibbeha County
- Pontotoc County
- Webster 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Palo Alto) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Palo Alto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |