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 Preston (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 Preston. 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 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 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, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Preston is located in Kemper 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 Kemper County: Sumter (AL), Lauderdale, Neshoba, Noxubee & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Preston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Preston:
- Kemper County (The home county of Preston)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Lynville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lynville is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynville
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- De Kalb
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wahalak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Wahalak is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahalak
- Rio
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Rio is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
- Scooba
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Electric Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Electric Mills is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electric Mills
- Sucarnoochee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Sucarnoochee is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sucarnoochee
- Porterville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Porterville is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
- Binnsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Binnsville is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binnsville
- Giles
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Giles is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
- Narkeeta ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Narkeeta is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narkeeta
- Lauderdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Martin
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Martin is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Daleville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Daleville is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
- Collinsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bailey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bailey is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Hookston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hookston is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
- Suqualena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Suqualena is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suqualena
- Lockhart
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
- Neshoba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Bogue Chitto
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bogue Chitto is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
- Ocobla
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Tucker
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tucker is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Philadelphia
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- House
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- House is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
- Pearl River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pearl River is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl River
- Neshoba
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Neshoba is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshoba
- Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hope is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Dixon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dixon is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Dowdville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dowdville is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowdville
- Laurel Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Laurel Hill is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Newton County
- Union
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Noxubee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Hashuqua ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hashuqua is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hashuqua
- Mashulaville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
- Shuqualak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shuqualak is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuqualak
- Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
- Macon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Harlan ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Harlan is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
- Cooksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cooksville is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Fairport ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Fairport is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Brooksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Handle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Handle is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handle
- Fearns Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Fearns Springs is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearns Springs
- Randalls Bluff ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Randalls Bluff is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalls Bluff
- Noxapater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Louisville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Plattsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Plattsburg is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsburg
- Hinze
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hinze is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinze
- Vowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Vowell is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowell
- Sumter County (AL)
- Geiger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Geiger is located in Sumter County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geiger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Preston, see our County-by-County Page for Preston.
Cemeteries Near Preston ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Preston.
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 Preston - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Preston covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Pleasant Springs Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Shepard Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pleasant Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Dry Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hailey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson Field Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Chamberlain Cemetery (East)
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Chamberlain Cemetery (West)
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rosamond Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vernon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tubb Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (289 more) ...
- Old Mt. Hebron Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Hebron Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Coy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
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 in 1895, Preston had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Peden ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Peden is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peden
- Handle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Handle is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handle
- Gholson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gholson is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
- Hashuqua ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hashuqua is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hashuqua
- Fearns Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Fearns Springs is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearns Springs
- North Bend
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- North Bend is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- Moscow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Moscow is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Randalls Bluff ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Randalls Bluff is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalls Bluff
- Ocobla
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Mount Nebo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Nebo is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
- Mashulaville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Noxapater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Perkinsville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Perkinsville is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkinsville
- Shuqualak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shuqualak is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuqualak
- Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Preston. See our List of 1890's Communities around Preston.
Newspapers Published in Preston ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Preston.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Preston, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Preston.
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 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 Preston:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Kemper County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lauderdale County
- Neshoba County
- Newton County
- Noxubee County
- Winston County
- Sumter 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Preston) 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 Preston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |