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 Peoria (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 Peoria. 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/Parishes ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.
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 counties/parishes 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/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Peoria is located in Amite 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 Amite County: East Feliciana (LA), Saint Helena (LA), Tangipahoa (LA), Franklin, Lincoln, Pike & Wilkinson.
Below are the counties/parishes that are near Peoria. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Peoria:
- Amite County (The home county of Peoria)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Glading
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Glading is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glading
- Huron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Huron is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- McElveen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- McElveen is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElveen
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
- Thompson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Thompson is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
- Gillsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Gillsburg is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillsburg
- Brookside
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Brookside is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
- Mount Olive
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Olive is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- O'Neil
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- O'Neil is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neil
- Bewelcome
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bewelcome is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bewelcome
- Gloster
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Crosby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Bude
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Eddiceton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eddiceton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddiceton
- McCall Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Meadville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Knoxville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Knoxville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- Lawrence County
- Verna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Verna is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Norfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Norfield is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfield
- Wellman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wellman is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
- Cobbs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cobbs is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Magnolia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Chatawa
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Chatawa is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
- Bear Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bear Town is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Town
- McComb
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Summit
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Osyka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bacots
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Bacots is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bacots
- Holmesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Holmesville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
- Smithburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Smithburg is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
- Topisaw
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Topisaw is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
- Wilkinson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Centreville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Whitaker
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Whitaker is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
- Rosetta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rosetta is located in Wilkinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosetta
- East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Troy ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Troy is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Woodland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Clinton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Clinton is located in East Feliciana Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,486 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <1>
- Norwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- 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>
- Saint Helena Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Chipola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chipola is located in Saint Helena Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipola
- Coleman Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Coleman Town is located in Saint Helena Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Town
- Greensburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Grangeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Grangeville is located in Saint Helena Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangeville
- Pine Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Kentwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tangipahoa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fluker
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Roseland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Amite City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wilmer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Wilmer is located in Tangipahoa Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmer
- Washington Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Mount Hermon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sunny Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sunny Hill is located in Washington Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Peoria, see our County-by-County Page for Peoria.
Cemeteries Near Peoria ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peoria.
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 Peoria - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Peoria covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Robinson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cockerham Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Webb Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bostic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bates Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Monroe - Brumfield Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cockerham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Newman Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Honea Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Glading Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Garner Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Robinson - McElvin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (882 more) ...
- Moses Robinson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 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.<2>
While we didn't find Peoria in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Peoria.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Peoria, with the one closest to Peoria listed first.
- Huron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Huron is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- East Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- East Fork is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
- Gillsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Gillsburg is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillsburg
- Thompson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Thompson is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
- Smithdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Smithdale is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithdale
- Chatawa
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Chatawa is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
- Magnolia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Fernwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Fernwood is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernwood
- Zion Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Zion Hill is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill
- Berwick
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Berwick is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwick
- Olio
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Olio is located in Amite County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olio
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Osyka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- McComb
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Summit
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Peoria. See our List of 1890's Communities around Peoria.
Newspapers Published in Peoria ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Peoria.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peoria, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Peoria.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Peoria:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Amite County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Lawrence County
- Lincoln County
- Pike County
- Wilkinson County
- East Feliciana Parish
- Saint Helena Parish
- Tangipahoa Parish
- Washington 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> | 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 Peoria, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Peoria) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |