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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 West Point (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 West Point. 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 West Point ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Point: W. Point

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 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 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.

West Point is located in Clay County and is the County Seat.

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 Clay County: Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha & Webster.

Below are the counties that are near West Point. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Point:

  • Clay County     (The home county of West Point)
  • Chickasaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Egypt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Sycamore ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Sycamore is located in Chickasaw County
    • Woodland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Anchor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anchor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
      • Anchor is located in Chickasaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Anchor
      • From West Point to Anchor
    • Okolona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Houston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Van Vleet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Holmes County
  • Lowndes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Artesia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Bent Oak
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Kolola Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Columbus
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Caledonia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • New Hope
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Lowndes County
    • Crawford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
      • Crawford is located in Lowndes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 655 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crawford <2>
  • Monroe County
  • Noxubee County
  • Oktibbeha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Clayton Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
      • Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Sessums
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Starkville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Adaton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Longview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bradley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Double Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Maben
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Sturgis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturgis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
      • Sturgis is located in Oktibbeha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <2>
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Mantee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
      • Mantee is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Mathiston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Clarkson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Hohenlinden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lamar County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Bedford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bedford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Lamar County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bedford
      • From West Point to Bedford
    • Fernbank
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fernbank. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernbank
      • Fernbank is located in Lamar County (AL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fernbank
      • From West Point to Fernbank
  • Pickens County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
    • Stafford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Macedonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macedonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
      • Macedonia is located in Pickens County (AL)
    • Ethelsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ethelsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethelsville
      • Ethelsville is located in Pickens County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Point, see our County-by-County Page for West Point.

Cemeteries Near West Point ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Point.

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 West Point covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.

  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Westbrook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westbrook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westbrook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Pt. Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Pt. Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Pt. Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pooles Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pooles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pooles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hampton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hampton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hampton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Strong Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strong Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strong Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mayhew Mission Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mayhew Mission Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mayhew Mission Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Strong Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strong Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strong Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Paine Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paine Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paine Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Siloam Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Siloam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Siloam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McPherson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McPherson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McPherson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tibbee Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tibbee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tibbee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (282 more) ...
    • Concord Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Concord #1 Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord #1 Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord #1 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Morton Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morton 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Point had a population of 2,762 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, West Point had a population of 10,378 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.

  • Whites
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whites have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
    • Whites is located in Clay County
  • Tibbee
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tibbee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbee
    • Tibbee is located in Clay County
  • Mhoons Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Siloam
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Siloam. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
    • Siloam is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Siloam
    • From West Point to Siloam
  • Osborn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osborn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
    • Osborn is located in Oktibbeha County
  • Waverly
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waverly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Waverly is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Waverly
    • From West Point to Waverly
  • Vinton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Muldon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Abbott
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Binford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Binford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binford
    • Binford is located in Monroe County
  • Palo Alto
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
    • Palo Alto is located in Clay County
  • Griffith
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cedar Bluff
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Sykes ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sykes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sykes
      • Sykes is located in Monroe County
    • McIntyre ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIntyre have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre
      • McIntyre is located in Lowndes County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Point. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Point.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of West Point ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Point.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of West Point. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of West Point and those printed in the larger area surrounding West Point.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5> of West Point.

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 websites either 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 West Point:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Point. 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>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 West Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- West Point) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Point. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6071, Longitude: -88.6488    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025