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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 Forney (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 Forney. 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 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 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.

Forney is located in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County: Atoka, Bryan, McCurtain, Pushmataha, Lamar (TX) & Red River (TX).

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

  • Choctaw County     (The home county of Forney)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Soper
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Hugo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Hugo is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,070 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <1>
    • Grant
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Virgil
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
      • Virgil is located in Choctaw County
    • Apple
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple
      • Apple is located in Choctaw County
    • Sawyer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Boswell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Spencerville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Towson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Frogville
      (19 miles [30.6 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
      • Frogville is located in Choctaw County
    • Swink
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Atoka County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Lone Pine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Pine
      • Lone Pine is located in Atoka County
    • Farris
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lane
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bentley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
      • Bentley is located in Atoka County
  • Bryan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Bennington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Bryan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bennington <1>
    • Matoy
      (26 miles [41.8 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoy
      • Matoy is located in Bryan County
    • Wade
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
      • Wade is located in Bryan County
    • Bokchito
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bokchito have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bokchito
      • Bokchito is located in Bryan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bokchito <1>
  • McCurtain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Rufe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Slim
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slim
      • Slim is located in McCurtain County
    • Valliant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pushmataha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Antlers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Belzoni
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belzoni
      • Belzoni is located in Pushmataha County
    • Ethel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
      • Ethel is located in Pushmataha County
    • Rattan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oleta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oleta
      • Oleta is located in Pushmataha County
    • Moyers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Finley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Corinne
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
      • Corinne is located in Pushmataha County
    • Cloudy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloudy
      • Cloudy is located in Pushmataha County
    • Eubanks
      (27 miles [43.5 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eubanks
      • Eubanks is located in Pushmataha County
    • Snow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Fannin County (TX)
  • Lamar County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Razor
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Razor
      • Razor is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Chicota
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Arthur City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Garretts Bluff
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bluff
      • Garretts Bluff is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Midcity
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midcity
      • Midcity is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Midcity has also been known as:
      • Trout Spur
      • Trout
    • Powderly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Maxey
      • Camp Maxey is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Caviness
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caviness
      • Caviness is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Direct
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Direct
      • Direct is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Hinckley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hinckley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
      • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Sumner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sumner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
      • Sumner is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumner <1>
    • Novice
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
      • Novice is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Amherst
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amherst. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
      • Amherst is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Red River County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forney, with the one closest to Forney listed first.
    • Kanawha
      (24 miles [38.6 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
      • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Addielou
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addielou
      • Addielou is located in Red River County (TX)

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

Cemeteries Near Forney ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forney.

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

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

  • Cold Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cold Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cold Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Goodland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goodland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Soper Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soper Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Soper Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Soper.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #99554 <4>
  • Cooksville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sweet Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweet Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sweet Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crosley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crosley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crosley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Springs Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springs Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springs Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (115 more) ...
    • Bluff Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bluff Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bluff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Messer Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sugar Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Chicota
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Arthur City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Emberson
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emberson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emberson
    • Emberson is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Direct
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Direct
    • Direct is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Sumner
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sumner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
    • Sumner is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumner <1>
  • Hinckley
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hinckley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
    • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Maxey
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maxey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxey
    • Maxey is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Monkstown
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monkstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkstown
    • Monkstown is located in Fannin County (TX)
  • Givens
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Givens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Givens
    • Givens is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Kanawha
    (24 miles [38.6 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
    • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Paris
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
    • Paris is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,872 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paris <1>
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Woodland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
      • Woodland is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Reno
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Reno is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,349 people
    • Telephone
      (28 miles [45.1 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 Forney. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forney.

Newspapers Published in Forney ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forney.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forney, 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 Forney.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Forney:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Forney. 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>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 Forney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Forney) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Forney. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0298, Longitude: -95.6197       In this case, the coordinates for Forney have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025