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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 Altus (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 Altus. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Altus is located in Jackson County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Oklahoma's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Greer, Harmon, Kiowa, Tillman, Hardeman (TX) & Wilbarger (TX).

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Altus)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Friendship
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Friendship is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22 people
    • Martha
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Victory
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory
      • Victory is located in Jackson County
    • Humphreys
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphreys
      • Humphreys is located in Jackson County
    • Blair
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 737 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blair <2>
    • Olustee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Headrick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Elmer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
      • Elmer is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmer <2>
    • Hess
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hess have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
      • Hess is located in Jackson County
    • Duke
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • East Duke
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Duke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Duke
      • East Duke is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 383 people
    • Eldorado
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Greer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Mangum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Granite
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granite have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite
      • Granite is located in Greer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Granite <2>
    • Willow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
      • Willow is located in Greer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow <2>
    • Bloomington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
      • Bloomington is located in Greer County
  • Harmon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Gould
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gould have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
      • Gould is located in Harmon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gould <2>
    • Louis ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louis
      • Louis is located in Harmon County
  • Kiowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Lugert ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lugert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lugert
      • Lugert is located in Kiowa County
    • Mountain Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
      • Mountain Park is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 384 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Park <2>
    • Snyder
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snyder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
      • Snyder is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,281 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snyder <2>
    • Roosevelt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roosevelt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roosevelt
      • Roosevelt is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roosevelt <2>
    • Lone Wolf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Hobart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cooperton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperton
      • Cooperton is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
  • Tillman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Tipton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Manitou
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manitou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manitou
      • Manitou is located in Tillman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manitou <2>
    • Frederick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardeman County (TX)
    • Chillicothe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Wilbarger County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Altus, with the one closest to Altus listed first.
    • Odell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
      • Odell is located in Wilbarger County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odell <2>
    • Fargo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
      • Fargo is located in Wilbarger County (TX)
    • White City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Wilbarger County (TX)
    • Tolbert ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolbert
      • Tolbert is located in Wilbarger County (TX)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Altus ...

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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around Altus.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Altus. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Altus and those printed in the larger area surrounding Altus.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Altus.

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 Altus:

Cemeteries Near Altus ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Altus.

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

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

  • Altus City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Restlawn Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Restlawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Restlawn Memorial Park
  • Frazier Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frazier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frazier Cemetery
  • Martha Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martha Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martha Cemetery
  • Victory Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Victory Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Victory Cemetery
  • Francis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Francis Cemetery
  • Navajo Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Navajo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Navajo Cemetery
  • Aaron Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aaron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aaron Cemetery
  • Blair Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blair Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blair Cemetery
  • Olustee Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olustee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olustee Cemetery
  • Elmer Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmer Cemetery
  • Headrick Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Headrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Headrick Cemetery
  • Continue List   (55 more) ...
    • Hester Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hester Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hester Cemetery
    • Warren Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Warren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warren Cemetery
    • Hess Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hess Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hess Cemetery

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Altus had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Altus had a population of 18,162 people.

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

  • Martha
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Victory
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory
    • Victory is located in Jackson County
  • Hess
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hess have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
    • Hess is located in Jackson County
  • Duke
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Mangum
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Doans
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doans have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doans
    • Doans is located in Wilbarger County (TX)
  • Eldorado
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Louis ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louis
    • Louis is located in Harmon County
  • Reed
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
    • Reed is located in Greer County
  • Chillicothe
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Bloomington
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
    • Bloomington is located in Greer County

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

The official website for Altus: www.cityofaltus.org/

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Altus) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Altus. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.6523, Longitude: -99.3164    
<4>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.
<5>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 Altus, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024