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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 Pocola (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 Pocola. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Pocola is located in Le Flore 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 Le Flore County: Polk (AR), Scott (AR), Sebastian (AR), Haskell, Latimer, McCurtain, Pushmataha & Sequoyah.

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

  • Le Flore County     (The home county of Pocola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Braden
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Braden is located in Le Flore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braden
    • Rock Island
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Rock Island is located in Le Flore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 648 people
    • Fort Coffee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort Coffee is located in Le Flore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Coffee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
    • Skullyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Skullyville is located in Le Flore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skullyville
    • Arkoma
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Cameron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Spiro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Spiro is located in Le Flore County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spiro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,154 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spiro <1>
    • Panama
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Shady Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Poteau
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Monroe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bokoshe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Haskell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Keota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • McCurtain
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Sequoyah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Moffett
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Roland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Muldrow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Remy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Remy is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remy
    • Gans
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gans is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gans
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gans <1>
    • Long
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Long is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long
    • Brent
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brent is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent
    • Belfonte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Belfonte is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfonte
    • Akins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Akins is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akins
    • Seven Oaks
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Seven Oaks is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Oaks
    • Short
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Short is located in Sequoyah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short
    • Sallisaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Crawford County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Wright Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wright Town is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright Town
    • Van Buren
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Van Buren is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Buren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,812 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Van Buren <1>
    • Kibler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Kibler is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,028 people
    • Concord
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Concord is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • New Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • New Town is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
    • Alma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Alma is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,887 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Rudy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rudy is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Uniontown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Uniontown is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
    • Cedarville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Barcelona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Barcelona is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barcelona
    • Dyer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Dyer is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 893 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
    • Natural Dam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Franklin County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Charleston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Leon ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Leon is located in Franklin County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
    • Branch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Branch is located in Franklin County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Branch <1>
    • Dahoma ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Dahoma is located in Franklin County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahoma
    • Donald ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Donald is located in Franklin County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
  • Logan County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Lucas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Lucas is located in Logan County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
    • Carolan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Carolan is located in Logan County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolan
  • Scott County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Bates
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Bates is located in Scott County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
    • Winfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Winfield is located in Scott County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
  • Sebastian County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pocola, with the one closest to Pocola listed first.
    • Bonanza
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Bonanza is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonanza
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 560 people
    • Hackett
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hackett is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 837 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackett <1>
    • Buell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Buell is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
    • Jenny Lind
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jenny Lind is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenny Lind
    • Fort Smith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Barling
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Barling is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,064 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barling <1>
    • Greenwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Greenwood is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,396 people
    • Midland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Midland is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
    • Central City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Central City is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Frog Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Frog Town is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog Town
    • Hartford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Hartford is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <1>
    • Huntington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Huntington is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 615 people

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

Cemeteries Near Pocola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pocola.

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 Pocola - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • White Bluff Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Vaenita Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Leard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Wards Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Paw Paw Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Old Hickory Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • French Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Doubleday Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (267 more) ...
    • Mt. Zineche Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Douglass Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Steep Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Jenson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jenson is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenson
  • Enterprise
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Enterprise is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
  • Hackett
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hackett is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackett
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 837 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackett <1>
  • Cavanaugh
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cavanaugh is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavanaugh
  • Buell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Buell is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buell
  • Crescent
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Crescent is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
  • Jenny Lind
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jenny Lind is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenny Lind
  • Excelsior
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Excelsior is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
  • Massard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Massard is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massard
  • Fort Smith
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Montreal
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Montreal is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montreal
  • Barling
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Barling is located in Sebastian County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barling
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,064 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barling <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Greenwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Greenwood is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,396 people
    • Witcherville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Witcherville is located in Sebastian County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcherville
    • Haroldton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Haroldton is located in Crawford County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haroldton

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

Newspapers Published in Pocola ...

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 150 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pocola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pocola, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pocola.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Pocola:

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 Pocola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Pocola) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.