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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 Broken Bow (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 Broken Bow. 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.

Broken Bow is located in McCurtain County.

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 McCurtain County: Little River (AR), Polk (AR), Sevier (AR), Choctaw, Le Flore, Pushmataha, Bowie (TX) & Red River (TX).

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

  • McCurtain County     (The home county of Broken Bow)
  • Choctaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Broken Bow, with the one closest to Broken Bow listed first.
    • Swink
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Fort Towson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Towson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Towson
      • Fort Towson is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Towson <1>
  • Little River County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Broken Bow, with the one closest to Broken Bow listed first.
    • Cerrogordo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cerrogordo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
      • Cerrogordo is located in Little River County (AR)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cerrogordo
      • From Broken Bow to Cerrogordo
    • Winthrop
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Foreman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foreman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foreman
      • Foreman is located in Little River County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 922 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foreman <1>
  • Polk County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Broken Bow, with the one closest to Broken Bow listed first.
    • Bog Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Grannis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grannis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grannis
      • Grannis is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • Wickes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickes
      • Wickes is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wickes <1>
    • Hatton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sevier County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Broken Bow, with the one closest to Broken Bow listed first.
    • Process City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Process City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Process City
      • Process City is located in Sevier County (AR)
    • De Queen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Queen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Queen
      • De Queen is located in Sevier County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Queen <1>
    • Horatio
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horatio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horatio
      • Horatio is located in Sevier County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,011 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horatio <1>
    • Norwoodville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Gillham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Red River County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Broken Bow, with the one closest to Broken Bow listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Red River County (TX)
    • English
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Broken Bow ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Broken Bow.

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

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

  • Crown Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crown Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crown Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sweet Home Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweet Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sweet Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lukfata Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lukfata Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lukfata Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Watsons Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watsons Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watsons Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Redland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hochatown Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Denison Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Denison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Denison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eagletown Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eagletown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eagletown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tonka Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tonka Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tonka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Canfield Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...
    • Philadelphia Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Philadelphia Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Philadelphia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Thomas Chapel Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Haworth Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haworth Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haworth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<6>

While we didn't find Broken Bow in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Broken Bow.

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

  • Cerrogordo
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cerrogordo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
    • Cerrogordo is located in Little River County (AR)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cerrogordo
    • From Broken Bow to Cerrogordo
  • Chapel Hill
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
    • Chapel Hill is located in Sevier County (AR)
  • Albion
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Albion is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Norwoodville
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Manchester
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Manchester is located in Red River County (TX)
  • English
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Madras
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madras have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madras
    • Madras is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Rocky Comfort
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Comfort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Comfort
    • Rocky Comfort is located in Little River County (AR)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Broken Bow ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Broken Bow.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Broken Bow. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Broken Bow and those printed in the larger area surrounding Broken Bow.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Broken Bow.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Broken Bow:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Broken Bow. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

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 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.
<3>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.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Broken Bow) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Broken Bow. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0314, Longitude: -94.7395    
<5>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.
<6>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 Broken Bow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025