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 Smyrna (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 Smyrna. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Smyrna is located in Copiah 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 Copiah County: Claiborne, Hinds, Lawrence, Lincoln, Rankin & Simpson.
Below are the counties that are near Smyrna. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smyrna:
- Copiah County (The home county of Smyrna)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Glancy
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glancy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glancy
- Glancy is located in Copiah County
- Hazlehurst
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Martinsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Martinsville is located in Copiah County
- Bowerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bowerton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerton
- Bowerton is located in Copiah County
- Crystal Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beauregard
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beauregard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Beauregard is located in Copiah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Allen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Allen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Allen is located in Copiah County
- Wesson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesson
- Wesson is located in Copiah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,849 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wesson <2>
- Carpenter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
- Carpenter is located in Copiah County
- Myles
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Myles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myles
- Myles is located in Copiah County
- Hopewell
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Hopewell is located in Copiah County
- Georgetown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Georgetown is located in Copiah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Claiborne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Carlisle
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carlisle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
- Carlisle is located in Claiborne County
- Saint Elmo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint Elmo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
- Saint Elmo is located in Claiborne County
- Rocky Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Rocky Springs is located in Claiborne County
- Willows
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willows
- Willows is located in Claiborne County
- Port Gibson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- McCall Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eddiceton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddiceton
- Eddiceton is located in Franklin County
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Bear Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
- Bear Creek is located in Hinds County
- Thompsonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thompsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Thompsonville is located in Hinds County
- Utica
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Adams
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Adams is located in Hinds County
- Terry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Learned
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Learned have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Learned
- Learned is located in Hinds County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Learned <2>
- Midway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Midway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Midway is located in Hinds County
- Palestine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palestine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Palestine is located in Hinds County
- Cayuga
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Cayuga is located in Hinds County
- Oakley
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Oakley is located in Hinds County
- Byram
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Newman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
- Newman is located in Hinds County
- Jefferson County
- Red Lick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Lick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lick
- Red Lick is located in Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Tryus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tryus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
- Tryus is located in Lawrence County
- Nola
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
- Nola is located in Lawrence County
- Rosella
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
- Rosella is located in Lawrence County
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- New Sight
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sight
- New Sight is located in Lincoln County
- Montgomery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montgomery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Montgomery is located in Lincoln County
- Caseyville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caseyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseyville
- Caseyville is located in Lincoln County
- Brookhaven
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Cobbs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbs
- Cobbs is located in Lincoln County
- Wellman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wellman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
- Wellman is located in Lincoln County
- Rankin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Alonzo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alonzo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alonzo
- Alonzo is located in Rankin County
- Clear Branch
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Clear Branch is located in Rankin County
- Whites
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Whites. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- King
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for King have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- King is located in Rankin County
- Florence
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Florence is located in Rankin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,531 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <2>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smyrna, see our County-by-County Page for Smyrna.
Cemeteries Near Smyrna ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smyrna.
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 Smyrna covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Smyrna Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smyrna Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smyrna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Wade Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wade Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Ridge UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Ridge UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pleasant Ridge UMC Cemetery is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<4> to the east of Hazlehurst.
- The Pleasant Ridge UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Pleasant Ridge Methodist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2277119 <5>
- Tabernacle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabernacle Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabernacle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Deaton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deaton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Deaton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ellington - Redus Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellington - Redus Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ellington - Redus Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- The Ellington - Redus Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ellington Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #59152 <5>
- Pine Bluff Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Bluff Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Bluff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hazlehurst Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hazlehurst Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hazlehurst Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (277 more) ...
- Damascus Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Damascus Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Damascus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Edwards Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwards Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
While we didn't find Smyrna in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smyrna.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smyrna, with the one closest to Smyrna listed first.
- Gallatin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallatin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallatin
- Gallatin is located in Copiah County
- Browns Wells
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Wells
- Browns Wells is located in Copiah County
- Hazlehurst
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Barlow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barlow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Barlow is located in Copiah County
- Bowerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bowerton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerton
- Bowerton is located in Copiah County
- Martinsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Martinsville is located in Copiah County
- Gallman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallman
- Gallman is located in Copiah County
- Allen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Allen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Allen is located in Copiah County
- Beauregard
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beauregard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Beauregard is located in Copiah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Crystal Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wesson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesson
- Wesson is located in Copiah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,849 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wesson <2>
- Bear Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
- Bear Creek is located in Hinds County
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Thompsonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thompsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Thompsonville is located in Hinds County
- Ashley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley
- Ashley is located in Copiah County
- Carpenter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
- Carpenter is located in Copiah County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smyrna. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smyrna.
Newspapers Published in Smyrna ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smyrna.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smyrna, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smyrna.
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 Smyrna:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Copiah County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Claiborne County
- Franklin County
- Hinds County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- Lincoln County
- Rankin County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smyrna. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | 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. |
<4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Smyrna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smyrna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.8702, Longitude: -90.5093 In this case, the coordinates for Smyrna 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 Smyrna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |