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 Lima (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 Lima. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Lima is located in Seminole 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 Seminole County: Hughes, Okfuskee, Pontotoc & Pottawatomie.
Below are the counties that are near Lima. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lima:
- Seminole County (The home county of Lima)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Bowlegs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Seminole
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wewoka
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cromwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sasakwa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Konawa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hughes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Holdenville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Yeager
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Yeager is located in Hughes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeager
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Spaulding
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spaulding is located in Hughes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
- Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
- Horntown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Horntown is located in Hughes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horntown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Wetumka
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Atwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Calvin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lamar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Citra
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Citra is located in Hughes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Citra
- Gerty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gerty is located in Hughes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Prague
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Meeker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Okfuskee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Bearden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bearden is located in Okfuskee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Boley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Paden
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Castle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Castle is located in Okfuskee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
- Okemah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ixl
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ixl is located in Okfuskee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ixl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Clearview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clearview is located in Okfuskee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Weleetka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mason
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mason is located in Okfuskee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Pontotoc County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Francis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Byng
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Byng is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byng
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
- Allen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oakman
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Oakman is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakman
- Oil Center
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Oil Center is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Center
- Bebee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bebee is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bebee
- Ada
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Homer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Homer is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Ahloso
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ahloso is located in Pontotoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ahloso
- Pottawatomie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Maud
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Earlsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sacred Heart
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
- Saint Louis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tecumseh
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Brooksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Brooksville is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooksville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
- Johnson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Johnson is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
- Shawnee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bellemont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bellemont is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellemont
- Asher
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Macomb
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Aydelotte
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Aydelotte is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aydelotte
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lima, see our County-by-County Page for Lima.
Cemeteries Near Lima ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lima.
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 Lima - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lima covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Lima Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Ong Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Rest Haven Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Scipio Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cudjo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Thrace Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sweutka Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Kinnelworth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Tate Mtn. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (203 more) ...
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wolf Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dora Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<3>
While we didn't find Lima in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Lima.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lima, with the one closest to Lima listed first.
- Sacred Heart
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
- Romulus
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Romulus is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
- Tecumseh
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Francis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Shawnee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Anderson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Anderson is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Bellemont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bellemont is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellemont
- Arlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Arlington is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Clifton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Dale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dale is located in Pottawatomie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lima. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lima.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lima ...
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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lima.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Lima. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Lima and those printed in the larger area surrounding Lima.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Lima.
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 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 Lima:
- Websites specific to Oklahoma
- Pages specific to Seminole County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hughes County
- Lincoln County
- Okfuskee County
- Pontotoc County
- Pottawatomie County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Oklahoma
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 Lima, 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- Lima) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |