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 Wells (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 Wells. 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.
Wells is located in Rankin 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 Rankin County: Copiah, Hinds, Madison, Scott, Simpson & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Wells. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wells:
- Rankin County (The home county of Wells)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Flowood
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pearl
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pearson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Greenfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Brandon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Richland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Fannin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fannin is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
- Florence
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Goshen Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Goshen Springs is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen Springs
- King
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- King is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Whites
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Clear Branch
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Clear Branch is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Copiah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Hopewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hopewell is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Crystal Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- North Town Plaza
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- North Town Plaza is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Town Plaza
- Jackson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Choctaw Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Choctaw Village is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Village
- Byram
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Clinton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Midway
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Midway is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Terry
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Raymond
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Palestine
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Palestine is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Bolton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bolton is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
- Brownsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brownsville is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Oakley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Oakley is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Ridgeland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Madison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Twelve Oaks
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Twelve Oaks is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Oaks
- Mannsdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mannsdale is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannsdale
- Madisonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Madisonville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
- Flora
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Canton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Maris Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Maris Town is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maris Town
- Adelle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Adelle is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelle
- Mill Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Mill Town is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Town
- Kearney Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kearney Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney Park
- Cobbville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cobbville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobbville
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Cooperville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cooperville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperville
- Branch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Branch is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
- Morton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ludlow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ludlow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
- Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beach is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
- Hunter Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hunter Town is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Town
- Kalem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Kalem is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalem
- Simpson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Braxton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- D'Lo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Mendenhall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Smith County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Polkville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Polkville is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 819 people
- Daniel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Daniel is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
- Trenton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Trenton is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Yazoo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Bentonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nod
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Nod is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nod
- Anding
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Anding is located in Yazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anding
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wells, see our County-by-County Page for Wells.
Cemeteries Near Wells ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wells.
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 Wells - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wells covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- St. Matthew Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Drakes Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Flora Hills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Russel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mt. Elam Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Old Sea Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Beth Israel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pearson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (309 more) ...
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lewis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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>
While we didn't find Wells in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wells.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Jackson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pearson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Greenfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Brandon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tougaloo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Monterey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Monterey is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Cynthia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cynthia is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cynthia
- Van Winkle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Van Winkle is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Winkle
- Rankin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Rankin is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
- Fannin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fannin is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fannin
- Thomasville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Thomasville is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Green Crossing
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Green Crossing is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Crossing
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- McRaven
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- McRaven is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRaven
- Clinton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mannsdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mannsdale is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannsdale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wells. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wells.
Newspapers Published in Wells ...
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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wells.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wells, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wells.
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 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 Wells:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Rankin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Copiah County
- Hinds County
- Madison County
- Scott County
- Simpson County
- Smith County
- Yazoo 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> | 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 Wells, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Wells) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |