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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 Purcell (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 Purcell. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Purcell is primarily located in McClain County and is the County Seat. A portion of Purcell extends into Cleveland 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 McClain County: Cleveland, Garvin, Grady, Pontotoc & Pottawatomie.

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

  • McClain County     (The home county of Purcell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purcell, with the one closest to Purcell listed first.
    • Washington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
      • Washington is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 601 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Washington <2>
    • Wayne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Goldsby
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goldsby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldsby
      • Goldsby is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,536 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goldsby <2>
    • Payne
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Payne. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne
      • Payne is located in McClain County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Payne
      • From Purcell to Payne
    • Criner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Cole
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cole have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cole
      • Cole is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
    • Rosedale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Dibble
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dibble have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dibble
      • Dibble is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 878 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dibble <2>
    • Blanchard
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
      • Blanchard is located in McClain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,114 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blanchard <2>
    • Newcastle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Byars
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purcell, with the one closest to Purcell listed first.
    • Lexington
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Slaughterville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Noble
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Maguire
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Etowah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Norman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Hall Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hall Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hall Park
      • Hall Park is located in Cleveland County
    • Little Axe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Franklin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Franklin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Cleveland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Franklin
      • From Purcell to Franklin
    • Moore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
      • Moore is located in Cleveland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63,102 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moore <2>
  • Garvin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purcell, with the one closest to Purcell listed first.
    • Maysville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Paoli
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paoli have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paoli
      • Paoli is located in Garvin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paoli <2>
    • Whitebead
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Lindsay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Wallville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Erin Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erin Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Springs
      • Erin Springs is located in Garvin County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 87 people
    • Antioch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Pauls Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Elmore City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmore City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore City
      • Elmore City is located in Garvin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 753 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmore City <2>
    • Stratford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wynnewood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Foster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
      • Foster is located in Garvin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foster <2>
  • Grady County
  • Oklahoma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purcell, with the one closest to Purcell listed first.
    • Valley Brook
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Brook
      • Valley Brook is located in Oklahoma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
    • Del City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Woods
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Newalla
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Capitol Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Smith Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smith Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
      • Smith Village is located in Oklahoma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Purcell, with the one closest to Purcell listed first.
    • Tribbey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Wanette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Pink
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Macomb
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Asher
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Brooksville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Bethel Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Acres
      • Bethel Acres is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,262 people
    • Saint Louis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Tecumseh
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>

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

Cemeteries Near Purcell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Purcell.

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

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

  • Hillside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lexington Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Willow View Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willow View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willow View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Denten Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Denten Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Denten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Washington Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dripping Springs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dripping Springs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dripping Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Noble IOOF Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Noble IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Noble IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Corbett Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Corbett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Corbett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Banner Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Banner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Banner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (118 more) ...
    • Adkins Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adkins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Randolph Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randolph Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randolph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cropper Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cropper Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cropper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

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

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

  • Lexington
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Noble
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Eason
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • 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
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Norman
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Denver
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
    • Denver is located in Cleveland County
  • Franklin
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Franklin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
    • Franklin is located in Cleveland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Franklin
    • From Purcell to Franklin
  • Newcastle
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Moore
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
    • Moore is located in Cleveland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 63,102 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moore <2>
  • Anderson
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Stella
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Stella is located in Cleveland County
  • Romulus
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Tecumseh
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 Purcell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Purcell.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Purcell ...

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 121 newspapers that have been published in the area around Purcell.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Purcell. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Purcell and those printed in the larger area surrounding Purcell.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Purcell.

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 either 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 Purcell:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Purcell. 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>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.
<5>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 Purcell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Purcell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Purcell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.0139, Longitude: -97.3661    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025