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 Smiths Ferry (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 Smiths Ferry. 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.
Name Variations for Smiths Ferry ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Smiths Ferry: Smiths Fry. (or less commonly used: Smiths Frry.)
- While the name of this community is Smiths Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Ferry may originally have been Smith's Ferry.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Ferry might be written as Smith Ferry.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Smiths Ferry. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Smiths Ferry.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties/Parishes ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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/parishes 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Smiths Ferry is located in Warren 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 Warren County: Madison (LA), Tensas (LA), Claiborne, Hinds, Issaquena & Yazoo.
Below are the counties/parishes that are near Smiths Ferry. For each of these counties/parishes, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smiths Ferry:
- Warren County (The home county of Smiths Ferry)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Newmans
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Newmans is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmans
- Villanova
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Villanova is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villanova
- Vicksburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Redwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Redwood is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Haynes Bluff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Haynes Bluff is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Bluff
- Stout
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Stout is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Russellville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Russellville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Claiborne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Rocky Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rocky Springs is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Carlisle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Carlisle is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
- Willows
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Willows is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willows
- Saint Elmo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Saint Elmo is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
- Ingleside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ingleside is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Grand Gulf
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Grand Gulf is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Gulf
- Copiah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Carpenter
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carpenter is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
- Myles
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Myles is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myles
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Edwards
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Newman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Newman is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
- Cayuga
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cayuga is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Bolton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bolton is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
- Learned
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oakley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oakley is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Adams
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Adams is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Brownsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brownsville is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Raymond
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Utica
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Palestine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Palestine is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Clinton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Issaquena County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Valley Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Park is located in Issaquena County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Park
- Chotard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Chotard is located in Issaquena County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chotard
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Adelle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Adelle is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelle
- Flora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kearney Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kearney Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney Park
- Sharkey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Smedes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Smedes is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smedes
- Onward
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Onward is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onward
- Blanton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blanton is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanton
- Yazoo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Satartia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Satartia is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satartia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
- Bentonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kearney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Kearney is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney
- Oil City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oil City is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Anding
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Anding is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anding
- Madison Parish (LA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Delta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Duck Port ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Duck Port is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Port
- Mound
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mound is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
- Thomastown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Thomastown is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomastown
- Coleman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Coleman is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Barnes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Barnes is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
- Ashly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Ashly is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashly
- Omega
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Omega is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Richmond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Richmond is located in Madison Parish (LA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 530 people
- Tallulah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smiths Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Smiths Ferry.
Cemeteries Near Smiths Ferry ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths Ferry.
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 Smiths Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smiths Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Oakland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Albin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flowers Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Taylor Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Friendship Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Flower Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Henry Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Edwards Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Parker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Montgomery Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Hackler Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Henry - Grant Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (179 more) ...
- Harris Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lewis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Beulah Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
While we didn't find Smiths Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smiths Ferry.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
- Bovina
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bovina is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bovina
- Newmans
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Newmans is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmans
- Edwards
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Newman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Newman is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
- Villanova
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Villanova is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villanova
- Oak Ridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Oak Ridge is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Blakely
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blakely is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakely
- Vicksburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Redwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Redwood is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Stout
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Stout is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Cayuga
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cayuga is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Haynes Bluff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Haynes Bluff is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes Bluff
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Learned
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bolton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bolton is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
- Russellville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Russellville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smiths Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smiths Ferry.
Newspapers Published in Smiths Ferry ...
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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Ferry.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Ferry, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiths Ferry.
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 Smiths Ferry:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Warren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Claiborne County
- Copiah County
- Hinds County
- Issaquena County
- Madison County
- Sharkey County
- Yazoo County
- Madison Parish
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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 Smiths Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 from Point A (ie- Smiths Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |