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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 Oil Center (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 Oil Center. 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 Oil Center ...

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 Oil Center: Oil Ctr. (or less commonly used: Oil Cen., Oil Cent. or Oil Cntr.)

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 northeast 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 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.

Oil Center is located in Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County: Coal, Garvin, Hughes, Johnston, Murray, Pottawatomie & Seminole.

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

  • Pontotoc County     (The home county of Oil Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Bebee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Byng
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byng have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byng
      • Byng is located in Pontotoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
    • Ada
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Francis
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Homer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fitzhugh
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fitzhugh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzhugh
      • Fitzhugh is located in Pontotoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fitzhugh <2>
    • Ahloso
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ahloso. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ahloso
      • Ahloso is located in Pontotoc County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ahloso
      • From Oil Center to Ahloso
    • Roff
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roff
      • Roff is located in Pontotoc County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 715 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roff <2>
    • Fittstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Franks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Franks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
      • Franks is located in Pontotoc County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Franks
      • From Oil Center to Franks
    • Harden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harden City
      • Harden City is located in Pontotoc County
    • Stonewall
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Etowah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Etowah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etowah
      • Etowah is located in Cleveland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Lexington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Coal County
    • Tupelo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tupelo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo
      • Tupelo is located in Coal County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 308 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tupelo <2>
  • Garvin County
  • Hughes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Spaulding
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spaulding have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
      • Spaulding is located in Hughes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
    • Citra
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Atwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Holdenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Gerty
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gerty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerty
      • Gerty is located in Hughes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
  • Johnston County
  • McClain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Byars
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byars have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byars
      • Byars is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Byars <2>
    • Rosedale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
      • Rosedale is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
    • Wayne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Hickory
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
      • Hickory is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Sulphur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Washita
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Sacred Heart
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Asher
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asher
      • Asher is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Asher <2>
    • Wanette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Louis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Louis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Louis
      • Saint Louis is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Louis <2>
    • Maud
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maud. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud
      • Maud is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maud <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maud
      • From Oil Center to Maud
    • Macomb
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macomb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Macomb is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <2>
    • Tribbey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tribbey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribbey
      • Tribbey is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
    • Brooksville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooksville
      • Brooksville is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Earlsboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Tecumseh
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tecumseh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
      • Tecumseh is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tecumseh <2>
    • Pink
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pink have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
      • Pink is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,187 people
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oil Center, with the one closest to Oil Center listed first.
    • Konawa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Konawa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Konawa
      • Konawa is located in Seminole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Konawa <2>
    • Sasakwa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Bowlegs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lima
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lima have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
      • Lima is located in Seminole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Seminole
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seminole have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seminole
      • Seminole is located in Seminole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,035 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seminole <2>
    • Wewoka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Oil Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oil Center.

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

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

  • Box X Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Box X Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Box X Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maxwell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maxwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maxwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Fairview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tiger Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tiger Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tiger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Egypt Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Egypt Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Egypt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bruner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bruner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bruner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vista Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vista Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moss Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moss Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moss Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swan Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swan Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swan Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...

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

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

  • Sacred Heart
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Francis
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Romulus
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romulus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
    • Romulus is located in Pottawatomie County
  • Anderson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Anderson is located in Pottawatomie County
  • Eason
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eason
    • Eason is located in Pottawatomie County
  • Etowah
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Etowah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etowah
    • Etowah is located in Cleveland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
  • Tecumseh
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tecumseh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
    • Tecumseh is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,641 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tecumseh <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Oil Center ...

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 120 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oil Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oil Center, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oil Center.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Oil Center:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Oil Center. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 Oil Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Oil Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oil Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.8689, Longitude: -96.8251    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025