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 Swiftwater (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 Swiftwater. 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 Swiftwater ...
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.
Another variation: Swift Water.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Swiftwater. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Swiftwater.
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 ...
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 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 north 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.
Swiftwater is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Chicot (AR), Bolivar, Humphreys, Issaquena, Sharkey & Sunflower.
Below are the counties that are near Swiftwater. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Swiftwater:
- Washington County (The home county of Swiftwater)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Greenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Avon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Avon is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Metcalfe
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Metcalfe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalfe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 935 people
- Wilmot
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wilmot is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- James
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- James is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
- Leland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stoneville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stoneville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
- Arcola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Forrest City ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Forrest City is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forrest City
- Dunleith
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dunleith is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunleith
- Napanee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Napanee is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napanee
- Hollandale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bolivar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Lamont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lamont is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
- Scott
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Scott is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
- Lake Vista
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lake Vista is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Vista
- Grapeland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Grapeland is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapeland
- Mound Landing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mound Landing is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Landing
- Choctaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Benoit
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Eutaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Eutaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eutaw
- Dahomy
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Dahomy is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahomy
- Longshot
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Longshot is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longshot
- Shaw
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Shaw is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,655 people
- Christmas
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Christmas is located in Bolivar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas
- Hinds County
- Delta City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Delta City is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta City
- Humphreys County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Isola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Isola is located in Humphreys County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
- Gooden Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gooden Lake is located in Humphreys County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gooden Lake
- Issaquena County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Booth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Booth is located in Issaquena County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Booth
- Mayersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Mayersville is located in Issaquena County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayersville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 517 people
- Sharkey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Panther Burn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Panther Burn is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther Burn
- Nitta Yuma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Nitta Yuma is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nitta Yuma
- Lorenzen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lorenzen is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenzen
- Anguilla
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Auter
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Auter is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auter
- Richey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Richey is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richey
- Mont Helena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mont Helena is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Helena
- Riverside Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Riverside Junction is located in Sharkey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside Junction
- Sunflower County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- New Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- New Town is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Heathman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Heathman is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathman
- Indianola
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Inverness
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Inverness is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inverness
- Population from the 2020 Census: 852 people
- Faisonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Faisonia is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faisonia
- Baird
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Baird is located in Sunflower County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baird
- Ashley County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Montrose
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Montrose is located in Ashley County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
- Portland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Chicot County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Lake Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Eudora
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dermott
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Desha County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Arkansas City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Arkansas City is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansas City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- McGehee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- McArthur
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- McArthur is located in Desha County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McArthur
- Drew County (AR)
- Jerome
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Jerome is located in Drew County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- West Carroll Parish (LA)
- Kilbourne
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Swiftwater, see our County-by-County Page for Swiftwater.
Cemeteries Near Swiftwater ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swiftwater.
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 Swiftwater - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Swiftwater covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Lakeview Gardens Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Greenville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jewish Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Live Oaks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Chinese Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Old Refuge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greenlawn Memorial Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Old Lakeport Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Graymound Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Morning Star Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lamont Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (141 more) ...
- Old Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lakeport Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Swiftwater had no post office or railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Swiftwater, with the one closest to Swiftwater listed first.
- Wayside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wayside is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
- Greenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Refuge
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Refuge is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refuge
- Sunnyside
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sunnyside is located in Chicot County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Avon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Avon is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Lakeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeport is located in Chicot County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeport
- Burdette
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Burdette is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
- Magenta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Magenta is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magenta
- James
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- James is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
- Lake Washington ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Lake Washington is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Washington
- Leland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stoneville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stoneville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Arcola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Elizabeth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elizabeth is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
- Longwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Longwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Swiftwater. See our List of 1890's Communities around Swiftwater.
Newspapers Published in Swiftwater ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swiftwater.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swiftwater, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swiftwater.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Swiftwater:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bolivar County
- Hinds County
- Humphreys County
- Issaquena County
- Sharkey County
- Sunflower County
- Ashley County
- Chicot County
- Desha County
- Drew County
- West Carroll Parish
- 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> | 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. |
| <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 Swiftwater, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Swiftwater) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |