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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.
Preston is located in Kemper 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 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynville
- Lynville is located in Kemper County
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spinks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- De Kalb
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wahalak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wahalak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahalak
- Wahalak is located in Kemper County
- Rio
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
- Rio is located in Kemper County
- Scooba
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scooba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scooba
- Scooba is located in Kemper County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scooba <2>
- Electric Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Electric Mills
- Electric Mills is located in Kemper County
- Sucarnoochee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sucarnoochee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sucarnoochee
- Sucarnoochee is located in Kemper County
- Porterville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterville
- Porterville is located in Kemper County
- Binnsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Binnsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binnsville
- Binnsville is located in Kemper County
- Giles
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giles
- Giles is located in Kemper County
- Narkeeta ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narkeeta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narkeeta
- Narkeeta is located in Kemper County
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Martin is located in Lauderdale County
- Daleville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daleville
- Daleville is located in Lauderdale County
- Collinsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Collinsville is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collinsville <2>
- Bailey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Bailey is located in Lauderdale County
- Hookston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hookston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookston
- Hookston is located in Lauderdale County
- Suqualena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suqualena
- Suqualena is located in Lauderdale County
- Lockhart
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lockhart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
- Lockhart is located in Lauderdale County
- 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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bogue Chitto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
- Bogue Chitto is located in Neshoba County
- Ocobla
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocobla. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Tucker
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tucker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Tucker is located in Neshoba County
- Philadelphia
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- House
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
- House is located in Neshoba County
- Pearl River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearl River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl River
- Pearl River is located in Neshoba County
- Neshoba
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshoba
- Neshoba is located in Neshoba County
- Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hope. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Hope is located in Neshoba County
- Dixon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dixon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Dixon is located in Neshoba County
- Dowdville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowdville
- Dowdville is located in Neshoba County
- Laurel Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Laurel Hill is located in Neshoba County
- 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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hashuqua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hashuqua
- Hashuqua is located in Noxubee County
- Mashulaville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
- Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
- Shuqualak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shuqualak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuqualak
- Shuqualak is located in Noxubee County
- 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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harlan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
- Harlan is located in Noxubee County
- Cooksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cooksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Cooksville is located in Noxubee County
- Fairport ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Fairport is located in Noxubee County
- 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)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Handle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handle
- Handle is located in Winston County
- Fearns Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fearns Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearns Springs
- Fearns Springs is located in Winston County
- Noxapater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noxapater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noxapater
- Noxapater is located in Winston County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noxapater <2>
- Louisville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Plattsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsburg
- Plattsburg is located in Winston County
- Hinze
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinze
- Hinze is located in Winston County
- Vowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowell
- Vowell is located in Winston County
- Sumter County (AL)
- Geiger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geiger
- Geiger is located in Sumter County (AL)
- 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.
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 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Springs Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Springs Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Shepard Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shepard Grove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shepard Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Springs Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Dry Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dry Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dry Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hailey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hailey Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hailey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jackson Field Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Field Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Field Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosamond Family Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosamond Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Vernon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vernon Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vernon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Tubb Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tubb Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tubb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- 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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hebron Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hebron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Coy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coy Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<6>
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)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peden
- Peden is located in Kemper County
- Handle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Handle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handle
- Handle is located in Winston County
- Gholson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gholson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gholson
- Gholson is located in Noxubee County
- Hashuqua ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hashuqua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hashuqua
- Hashuqua is located in Noxubee County
- Fearns Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fearns Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearns Springs
- Fearns Springs is located in Winston County
- North Bend
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
- North Bend is located in Neshoba County
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spinks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- Moscow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Moscow is located in Kemper County
- Randalls Bluff ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randalls Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalls Bluff
- Randalls Bluff is located in Winston County
- Ocobla
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocobla. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Mount Nebo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Nebo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
- Mount Nebo is located in Kemper County
- Mashulaville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
- Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Noxapater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noxapater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noxapater
- Noxapater is located in Winston County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noxapater <2>
- Perkinsville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perkinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkinsville
- Perkinsville is located in Winston County
- Shuqualak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shuqualak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shuqualak
- Shuqualak is located in Noxubee County
- 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]<4>. 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 like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Preston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Preston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Preston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.8826, Longitude: -88.8289 In this case, the coordinates for Preston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<5> | 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. |
<6> | 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. |