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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 Fort Towson (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 Fort Towson. 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.

Name Variations for Fort Towson ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Towson: Ft. Towson

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and 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.

Fort Towson 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 Fort Towson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Towson:

  • Choctaw County     (The home county of Fort Towson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Towson, with the one closest to Fort Towson listed first.
    • Swink
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Sawyer
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Virgil
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
      • Virgil is located in Choctaw County
    • Spencerville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Frogville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frogville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
      • Frogville is located in Choctaw County
    • Apple
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple
      • Apple is located in Choctaw County
    • Hugo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Soper
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • McCurtain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Towson, with the one closest to Fort Towson listed first.
    • Slim
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slim
      • Slim is located in McCurtain County
    • Valliant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rufe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ringold
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Millerton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millerton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in McCurtain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millerton <1>
    • Wright City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
      • Wright City is located in McCurtain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wright City <1>
    • Garvin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Golden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Holly Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Creek
      • Holly Creek is located in McCurtain County
    • Idabel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idabel
      • Idabel is located in McCurtain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,876 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Idabel <1>
    • Pickens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Broken Bow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pushmataha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Towson, with the one closest to Fort Towson listed first.
    • Corinne
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
      • Corinne is located in Pushmataha County
    • Oleta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oleta
      • Oleta is located in Pushmataha County
    • Rattan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Belzoni
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belzoni
      • Belzoni is located in Pushmataha County
    • Cloudy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloudy
      • Cloudy is located in Pushmataha County
    • Ethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
      • Ethel is located in Pushmataha County
    • Antlers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Finley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Snow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Moyers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lamar County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Towson, with the one closest to Fort Towson listed first.
    • Pin Hook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Hook
      • Pin Hook is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Arthur City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Novice
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
      • Novice is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Midcity
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midcity
      • Midcity is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Midcity has also been known as:
      • Trout Spur
      • Trout
    • Chicota
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Powderly
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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)
    • Razor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Razor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Razor
      • Razor is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Hinckley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
      • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Blossom
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
      • Blossom is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blossom <1>
    • Sun Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Valley
      • Sun Valley is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
    • Caviness
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caviness
      • Caviness is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Garretts Bluff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bluff
      • Garretts Bluff is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Red River County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Towson, with the one closest to Fort Towson listed first.
    • Kanawha
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
      • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Addielou
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addielou
      • Addielou is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Silver City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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)
    • Greenwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Detroit
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Red River County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <1>
    • Bagwell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Liberty
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Red River County (TX)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fort Towson ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Towson.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Fort Towson:

Cemeteries Near Fort Towson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Towson.

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

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

  • Ft. Towson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Towson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Towson Cemetery
  • Old Ft. Towson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Ft. Towson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Ft. Towson Cemetery
  • Swink Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swink Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swink Cemetery
  • Everidge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Everidge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Everidge Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Dixon Chapel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dixon Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dixon Chapel Cemetery
  • Shoat Springs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shoat Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shoat Springs Cemetery
  • Missionary Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Missionary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Missionary Cemetery
  • Oaks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaks Cemetery
  • Frogville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frogville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frogville Cemetery
  • Valliant Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Spencerville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spencerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spencerville Cemetery
  • Continue List   (108 more) ...
    • Sobol Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sobol Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sobol Cemetery
    • Jones Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
    • Rufe Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<6>

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

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

  • Kanawha
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
    • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Manchester
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • 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)
  • Woodland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • 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)
  • Arthur City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Albion
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • 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)
  • Chicota
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Powderly
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hinckley
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
    • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Detroit
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
    • Detroit is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <1>
  • Givens
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • 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)
  • Blossom
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
    • Blossom is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blossom <1>
  • Bagwell
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Reno
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Sylvan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
      • Sylvan is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Emberson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Fort Towson. 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 '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- Fort Towson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Towson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.0279, Longitude: -95.2796       In this case, the coordinates for Fort Towson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Fort Towson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024