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 Prairie (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 Prairie. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Prairie is located in Monroe County.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Monroe County: Lamar (AL), Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lee & Lowndes.
Below are the counties that are near Prairie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Prairie:
- Monroe County (The home county of Prairie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Gibson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Gibson is located in Monroe County
- Muldon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Aberdeen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Wren
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Wren
- New Wren is located in Monroe County
- Wren
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
- Wren is located in Monroe County
- Acker ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acker
- Acker is located in Monroe County
- Cotton Gin Port ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Gin Port
- Cotton Gin Port is located in Monroe County
- Hamilton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Amory
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hatley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatley
- Hatley is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
- Nettleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nettleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleton
- Nettleton is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,896 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nettleton <1>
- Greenwood Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Floyton ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floyton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floyton
- Floyton is located in Monroe County
- Calhoun County
- Vardaman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vardaman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vardaman
- Vardaman is located in Calhoun County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vardaman <1>
- Chickasaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Egypt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Egypt is located in Chickasaw County
- Sycamore ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Sycamore is located in Chickasaw County
- Okolona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Van Vleet
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Vleet
- Van Vleet is located in Chickasaw County
- Houston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Anchor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anchor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
- Anchor is located in Chickasaw County
- Woodland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Woodland is located in Chickasaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Thelma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thelma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thelma
- Thelma is located in Chickasaw County
- New Houlka
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Houlka
- New Houlka is located in Chickasaw County
- 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>
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Una
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Una is located in Clay County
- Abbott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- Vinton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- Siloam
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Siloam. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- West Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Griffith
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Mhoons Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mhoons Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Beasley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Beasley is located in Clay County
- Montpelier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montpelier. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
- Montpelier is located in Clay County
- Cedar Bluff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Waverly
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waverly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Waverly is located in Clay County
- Pheba
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Holmes County
- Egypt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Egypt is located in Holmes County
- Itawamba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Carolina
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
- Carolina is located in Itawamba County
- Abney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abney
- Abney is located in Itawamba County
- Greenwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Greenwood is located in Itawamba County
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Shannon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Verona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Verona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
- Verona is located in Lee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,209 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Verona <1>
- Plantersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plantersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plantersville
- Plantersville is located in Lee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,125 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plantersville <1>
- Richmond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Richmond is located in Lee County
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Kolola Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kolola Springs
- Kolola Springs is located in Lowndes County
- Caledonia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bent Oak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Oak
- Bent Oak is located in Lowndes County
- Columbus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Artesia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Artesia is located in Lowndes County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- New Hope
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County
- Oktibbeha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Clayton Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
- Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
- Starkville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sessums
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sessums. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sessums
- Sessums is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sessums <1>
- Adaton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaton
- Adaton is located in Oktibbeha County
- Maben
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maben
- Maben is located in Oktibbeha County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Longview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
- Pontotoc County
- Goodford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodford
- Goodford is located in Pontotoc County
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Mantee
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
- Mantee is located in Webster County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Hohenlinden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hohenlinden
- Hohenlinden is located in Webster County
- Clarkson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Clarkson is located in Webster County
- Lamar County (AL)
- Bedford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bedford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
- Bedford is located in Lamar County (AL)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Prairie, see our County-by-County Page for Prairie.
Cemeteries Near Prairie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Prairie.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Prairie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Reedy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reedy Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reedy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Coleman Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coleman Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coleman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Le Noir Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Le Noir Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Le Noir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mountain Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain Union Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Patterson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patterson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Third Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Third Union Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Third Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Lawn Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Lawn Park
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Lawn Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Zion Spring Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Spring Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cantrell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cantrell Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cantrell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Paine Chapel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paine Chapel Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paine Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Moore Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Walker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (309 more) ...
- Ware Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ware Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ware Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Plain Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Plain Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Plain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Strong Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strong Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strong Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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>
While we didn't find Prairie in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Prairie.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Prairie, with the one closest to Prairie listed first.
- Gibson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Gibson is located in Monroe County
- Sykes ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sykes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sykes
- Sykes is located in Monroe County
- Muldon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Binford
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Binford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binford
- Binford is located in Monroe County
- Egypt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Egypt is located in Chickasaw County
- Aberdeen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Una
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Una is located in Clay County
- Whites
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whites have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Abbott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- McCondy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCondy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCondy
- McCondy is located in Chickasaw County
- Palo Alto
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
- Palo Alto is located in Clay County
- Buena Vista
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Buena Vista is located in Chickasaw County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Siloam
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Siloam. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Vinton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- West Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Prairie.
Newspapers Published in Prairie ...
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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Prairie.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Prairie, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Prairie.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Prairie:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Monroe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Chickasaw County
- Clay County
- Holmes County
- Itawamba County
- Lee County
- Lowndes County
- Oktibbeha County
- Pontotoc County
- Webster County
- Lamar County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Prairie. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Monroe County: www.monroecountyms.org
The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/
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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<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 Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Prairie) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Prairie. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.7968, Longitude: -88.6675 In this case, the coordinates for Prairie have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |