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 Westwood (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 Westwood. 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 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.
Westwood is located in Oktibbeha 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 Oktibbeha County: Choctaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Webster & Winston.
Below are the counties that are near Westwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Westwood:
- Oktibbeha County (The home county of Westwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Starkville
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Clayton Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
- Adaton
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Adaton is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaton
- Longview
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Sessums
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bradley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bradley is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Double Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Double Springs is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Springs
- Sturgis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Maben
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maben is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maben
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Chickasaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Woodland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Anchor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Anchor is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Reform
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Reform is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
- Williams
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Williams is located in Choctaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
- Ackerman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Weir
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Cedar Bluff
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Mhoons Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Pheba
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Griffith
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Siloam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- West Point
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Abbott
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Abbott is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Beasley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Beasley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
- Whites
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Whites is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Montpelier
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Montpelier is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
- Waverly
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Waverly is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Vinton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Vinton is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
- Una
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Una is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Una
- Lowndes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Artesia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Artesia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Crawford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bent Oak
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Bent Oak is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Oak
- Columbus
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Kolola Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kolola Springs is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kolola Springs
- New Hope
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- New Hope is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Muldon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Muldon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muldon
- Gibson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gibson is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
- Aberdeen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Noxubee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Fairport ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairport is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Brooksville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mashulaville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mashulaville is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashulaville
- Deerbrook
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Deerbrook is located in Noxubee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
- Macon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Mathiston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Cumberland
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Clarkson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clarkson is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Sapa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sapa is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapa
- Mantee
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Mantee is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
- Fame
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fame is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fame
- Hohenlinden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hohenlinden is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hohenlinden
- Eupora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Walthall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Walthall is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Montevista
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montevista is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevista
- Winston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Louisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Randalls Bluff ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Randalls Bluff is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalls Bluff
- Fearns Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fearns Springs is located in Winston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearns Springs
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Westwood, see our County-by-County Page for Westwood.
Cemeteries Near Westwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westwood.
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 Westwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Westwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Old Presbyterian Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Associated Reform Presbyterian Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Fort Graveyard
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Oktibbeha Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Boyd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Josey Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rice Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Fox Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Adaton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Adaton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (290 more) ...
- Salem Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pearsons Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Parrish Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
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>
While we didn't find Westwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Westwood.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Westwood, with the one closest to Westwood listed first.
- Starkville
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Longview
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Longview is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
- Sessums
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Osborn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Osborn is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
- Oktoc
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oktoc is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oktoc
- Mhoons Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mhoons Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mhoons Valley
- Cedar Bluff
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Bradley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bradley is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Artesia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Artesia is located in Lowndes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artesia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Pheba
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tibbee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tibbee is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tibbee
- Griffith
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Griffith is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Siloam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Siloam is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Double Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Double Springs is located in Oktibbeha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Springs
- Sturgis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Westwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Westwood.
Newspapers Published in Westwood ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westwood, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westwood.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Westwood:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Oktibbeha County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chickasaw County
- Choctaw County
- Clay County
- Lowndes County
- Monroe County
- Noxubee County
- Webster County
- Winston 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Westwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Westwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |