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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 Chism (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 Chism. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Chism is located in McClain County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McClain County: Cleveland, Garvin, Grady, Pontotoc & Pottawatomie.

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

  • McClain County     (The home county of Chism)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Byars
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rosedale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Rosedale is located in McClain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
    • Wayne
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Purcell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Etowah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Etowah is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etowah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Lexington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Maguire
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Maguire is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maguire
    • Little Axe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Little Axe is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Axe
    • Slaughterville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Slaughterville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughterville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,359 people
    • Noble
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Noble is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,250 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <1>
  • Garvin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Stratford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Pauls Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Paoli
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Wynnewood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Whitebead
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Whitebead is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitebead
      • Whitebead has also been known as:
      • White Bead
    • Maysville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Antioch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Antioch is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
  • Hughes County
    • Spaulding
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Spaulding is located in Hughes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Hickory
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Hickory is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Sulphur
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Washita
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Washita is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washita
  • Pontotoc County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Oil Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Oil Center is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Center
    • Bebee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bebee is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bebee
    • Byng
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Byng is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byng
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Ada
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ada is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,239 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <1>
    • Oakman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Oakman is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakman
    • Francis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Roff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Roff is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roff
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 715 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roff <1>
    • Ahloso
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ahloso is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ahloso
    • Fitzhugh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Homer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Homer is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
    • Fittstown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Franks
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Franks is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Asher
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Asher is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Asher <1>
    • Wanette
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sacred Heart
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
    • Saint Louis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Tribbey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Tribbey is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribbey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
    • Macomb
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Macomb is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <1>
    • Maud
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Maud is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maud <1>
    • Brooksville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Brooksville is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooksville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Pink
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Pink is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,187 people
    • Tecumseh
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Earlsboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bethel Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bethel Acres is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,262 people
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chism, with the one closest to Chism listed first.
    • Konawa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bowlegs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sasakwa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Lima
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lima is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Seminole
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wewoka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Chism ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chism.

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 Chism - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chism covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Cook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • New Johnsonville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Byars Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • McGee Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGee Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the McGee Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Stratford.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1419634 <2>
  • Maxwell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Vista Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wanette Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lyon's Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Avoca Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Dixon Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Box X Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Center Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (189 more) ...
    • Bates Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Violet Springs Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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 Chism in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chism.

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

  • Sacred Heart
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
  • Anderson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Anderson is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
  • Eason
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Eason is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eason
  • Romulus
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Romulus is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
  • Francis
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Etowah
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Etowah is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etowah
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
  • Lexington
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Tecumseh
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Shawnee
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Shawnee is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,555 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shawnee <1>
  • Denver
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Denver is located in Cleveland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver

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

Newspapers Published in Chism ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chism.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chism, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chism.

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 Chism:

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 Chism, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chism) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.