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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 Ruth (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 Ruth. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Ruth is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Pike & Walthall.

Below are the counties that are near Ruth. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ruth:

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Ruth)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Wellman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wellman is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
    • Norfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Norfield is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfield
    • Brookhaven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Montgomery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Montgomery is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
    • Cobbs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cobbs is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs
    • New Sight
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • New Sight is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sight
    • Caseyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Caseyville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseyville
  • Amite County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • McElveen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • McElveen is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElveen
    • Thompson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Thompson is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Mount Olive
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Mount Olive is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Glading
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Glading is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glading
    • Brookside
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Brookside is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Huron
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Huron is located in Amite County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
  • Copiah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Wesson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Beauregard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Beauregard is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
    • Martinsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Martinsville is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Sardis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Sardis is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
    • Bowerton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bowerton is located in Copiah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerton
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • McCall Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Eddiceton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Eddiceton is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddiceton
  • Jefferson Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Oak Vale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
    • Prentiss
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Prentiss is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prentiss <1>
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Verna
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Verna is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
    • Nola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Nola is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
    • Monticello
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Tilton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Arm
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Arm is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
    • Rosella
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosella is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
    • Tryus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Tryus is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
    • Hooker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Silver Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Kokomo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Goss
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Goss is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
    • Expose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Expose is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
    • Columbia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Topisaw
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
    • Summit
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bacots
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Bacots is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bacots
    • Holmesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • McComb
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bear Town is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Town
    • Magnolia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Smithburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Smithburg is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
    • Chatawa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Chatawa is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatawa
    • Osyka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Walthall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
    • Sartinville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville
    • Tylertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington Parish (LA)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ruth, see our County-by-County Page for Ruth.

Cemeteries Near Ruth ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruth.

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 Ruth - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ruth covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.

  • Price Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ruth Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Rawls Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • McDavid Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • McCullough Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Spring Beulah Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Union Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Eaton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Moak Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • John Felder Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Herron Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (667 more) ...
    • McEwen Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Garner Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • McCullough Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ruth had a post office and no railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.

  • Wellman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wellman is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
  • Topisaw
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Topisaw is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
  • Johnstons Station
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Johnstons Station is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstons Station
  • Bogue Chitto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bogue Chitto is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
  • Norfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Norfield is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norfield
  • Summit
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fair River
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fair River is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair River
  • McComb
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Holmesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Holmesville is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
  • Fernwood
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Fernwood is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernwood
  • Brookhaven
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Monticello
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Tilton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Auburn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Auburn is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Magnolia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ruth. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ruth.

Newspapers Published in Ruth ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruth.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruth, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruth.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Ruth:

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 Ruth, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Ruth) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.