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 Ethel (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 Ethel. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Ethel is located in Pushmataha 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 Pushmataha County: Atoka, Choctaw, Latimer, Le Flore, McCurtain & Pittsburg.
Below are the counties that are near Ethel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ethel:
- Pushmataha County (The home county of Ethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Antlers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Belzoni
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rattan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Finley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Moyers
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oleta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Eubanks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eubanks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eubanks
- Eubanks is located in Pushmataha County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Eubanks
- From Ethel to Eubanks
- Snow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Corinne
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Cloudy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Stanley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stanley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Stanley is located in Pushmataha County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Stanley
- From Ethel to Stanley
- Adel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adel
- Adel is located in Pushmataha County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Adel
- From Ethel to Adel
- Atoka County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Lone Pine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Farris
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Daisy
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lane
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bentley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bryan County
- Matoy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Matoy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoy
- Matoy is located in Bryan County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Matoy
- From Ethel to Matoy
- Choctaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Apple
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Spencerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Virgil
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hugo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Soper
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sawyer
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Sawyer is located in Choctaw County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sawyer <1>
- Grant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fort Towson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Towson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
- Boswell
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Swink
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Frogville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frogville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
- Frogville is located in Choctaw County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Frogville
- From Ethel to Frogville
- McCurtain County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Rufe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ringold
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Slim
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Valliant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lamar County (TX)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Arthur City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur City
- Arthur City is located in Lamar County (TX)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arthur City <1>
- Chicota
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Razor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Razor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Razor
- Razor is located in Lamar County (TX)
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Razor
- From Ethel to Razor
- Garretts Bluff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Midcity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Powderly
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camp Maxey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Maxey
- Camp Maxey is located in Lamar County (TX)
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Camp Maxey
- From Ethel to Camp Maxey
- Red River County (TX)
- Kanawha
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kanawha. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
- Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Kanawha
- From Ethel to Kanawha
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ethel, see our County-by-County Page for Ethel.
Cemeteries Near Ethel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ethel.
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 Ethel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Ethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ethel Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- White Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odd Fellows Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odd Fellows Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Antlers City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antlers City Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antlers City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Belzoni Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belzoni Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belzoni Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Edwards Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwards Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Finley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rattan Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Kosoma Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kosoma Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kosoma Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Moyers Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moyers Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moyers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cooksville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooksville Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooksville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rocky Point Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rocky Point Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rocky Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (96 more) ...
- Messer Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Messer Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Messer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- One Creek Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the One Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the One Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sugar Creek Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
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>
While we didn't find Ethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ethel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ethel, with the one closest to Ethel listed first.
- Chicota
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Arthur City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur City
- Arthur City is located in Lamar County (TX)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arthur City <1>
- Powderly
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ethel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ethel.
Newspapers Published in Ethel ...
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 Ethel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ethel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ethel.
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 Ethel:
- Websites specific to Oklahoma
- Pages specific to Pushmataha County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Atoka County
- Bryan County
- Choctaw County
- McCurtain County
- Lamar County
- Red River County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Oklahoma
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ethel. 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> | 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. |
<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> | 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 Ethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ethel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ethel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.2296, Longitude: -95.5463 |