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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Salem is located in Leake 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 Leake County: Attala, Madison, Neshoba, Newton, Scott & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Salem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Salem:
- Leake County (The home county of Salem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- High Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- High Hill is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Hill
- Walnut Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Standing Pine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Pine is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standing Pine
- Tuscola
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Tuscola is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
- Carthage
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Redwater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Redwater is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwater
- Coosa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Coosa is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosa
- Saint Ann
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Ann is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Ann
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Success ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Success is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
- Baxter ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Baxter is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Garlandsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Garlandsville is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garlandsville
- Kemper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Rio
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rio is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
- Spinks ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Spinks is located in Kemper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks
- Lauderdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Martin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Martin is located in Lauderdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Collinsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Neshoba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Dowdville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dowdville is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowdville
- Dixon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Laurel Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Hope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hope is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Neshoba
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Neshoba is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshoba
- Pearl River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pearl River is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl River
- Philadelphia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Tucker is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- House
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- House is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
- Ocobla
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ocobla is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocobla
- Bogue Chitto
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bogue Chitto is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue Chitto
- Newton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Lucern
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lucern is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucern
- Conehatta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Conehatta is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conehatta
- Union
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Stamper ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Stamper is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamper
- Decatur
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Bluff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Bluff is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Bluff
- Newton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Six Towns ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Six Towns is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Towns
- Hickory
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 515 people
- Chunky
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Sebastopol
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harperville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperville
- Cash
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Cash is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
- Clifton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Forest
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beach
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Beach is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
- Raworth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Raworth is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raworth
- Kalem
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kalem is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalem
- Ludlow
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Ludlow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
- Branch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Branch is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Morton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Plattsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Plattsburg is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsburg
- Vowell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Vowell is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vowell
- Hinze
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hinze is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinze
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Salem, see our County-by-County Page for Salem.
Cemeteries Near Salem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.
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 Salem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Salem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Salem Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Milldale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- High Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Britt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Damascus Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rock Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Barnett Memorial Garden
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mt. Bethany Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Springfield Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Beech Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (277 more) ...
- True Light Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fuston Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lindsey Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<2>
While we didn't find Salem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Salem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Sebastopol
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- High Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- High Hill is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Hill
- Damascus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Damascus is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Hays
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hays is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays
- Prospect
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Prospect is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Madden
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Madden is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madden
- Walnut Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Piketown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Piketown is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piketown
- Free Trade
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Free Trade is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Trade
- Standing Pine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Pine is located in Leake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standing Pine
- Lucern
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lucern is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucern
- Dixon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Laurel Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Neshoba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Harperville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperville
- Conehatta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Conehatta is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conehatta
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Salem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Salem.
Newspapers Published in Salem ...
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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.
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 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 Salem:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Leake County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Jasper County
- Kemper County
- Lauderdale County
- Neshoba County
- Newton County
- Scott County
- Winston 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> | 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 Salem, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Salem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |