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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 Oak Grove (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 Oak Grove. 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 Oak Grove ...

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 occur.

Another variation: Oakgrove.

  • A typical abbreviation for Oak Grove: Oak Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Grove.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Oak Grove is located in Murray 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 Murray County: Carter, Garvin, Johnston & Pontotoc.

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

  • Murray County     (The home county of Oak Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Sulphur
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hickory
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hickory is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Washita
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Washita is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washita
    • Dougherty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Village is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Village
    • Davis
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Crusher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Crusher is located in Murray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crusher
  • Carter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Gene Autry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Gene Autry is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gene Autry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
      • Former names for Gene Autry:
      • Berwyn
      • Dresden
      • Lou
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gene Autry <1>
    • Springer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Woodford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodford is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
    • Milo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Pooleville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Dickson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Dickson is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,256 people
    • Tatums
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Garvin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Wynnewood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Stratford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Pauls Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitebead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Whitebead is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitebead
      • Whitebead has also been known as:
      • White Bead
    • Katie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Katie is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
    • Paoli
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hennepin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Elmore City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Satterwhite
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Satterwhite is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Satterwhite
    • Antioch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Antioch is located in Garvin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Maysville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Foster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Johnston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Mill Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Connerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Reagan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Reagan is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reagan
    • Ravia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mannsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bromide
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Tishomingo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McClain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Byars
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Rosedale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosedale is located in McClain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
    • Wayne
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pontotoc County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Roff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Fitzhugh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Fittstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Franks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Franks is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
    • Bebee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Bebee is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bebee
    • Ada
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Oil Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Oil Center is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Center
    • Harden City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Harden City is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harden City
    • Ahloso
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Ahloso is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ahloso
    • Homer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Homer is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
    • Jesse
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jesse is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jesse
    • Byng
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Byng is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byng
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Oakman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Oakman is located in Pontotoc County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakman
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Wanette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Asher
      (25 miles [40.2 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>
    • Sacred Heart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
  • Seminole County
    • Konawa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Grove.

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 Oak Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Dolberg Baptist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Palmer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Iona Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Oaklawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oaklawn Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the north of Sulphur.
    • The Oaklawn Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sulphur Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #99129 <3>
  • Sandy Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Shirley Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hickory Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • West Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Corley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Hart Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sandy Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (158 more) ...
    • Scullin Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • East Hill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Fletcher Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Woodford
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodford is located in Carter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
  • Francis
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Sacred Heart
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
  • Eason
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Eason is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eason

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Grove ...

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 86 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Grove, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Grove.

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 Oak Grove:

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>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- Oak Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Oak Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.