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 Ritts Junction (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 Ritts Junction. 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 Ritts Junction ...
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.
- A typical abbreviation for Ritts Junction: Ritts Jct. (or less commonly used: Ritts Jctn.)
- While the name of this community is Ritts Junction, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Ritts Junction may originally have been Ritt's Junction.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Ritts Junction might be written as Ritt Junction.
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 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.
Ritts Junction is located in Creek 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 Creek County: Lincoln, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pawnee, Payne & Tulsa.
Below are the counties that are near Ritts Junction. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ritts Junction:
- Creek County (The home county of Ritts Junction)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Milfay
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Depew
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Depew have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depew
- Depew is located in Creek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Depew <2>
- Pulaski ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pulaski. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulaski
- Pulaski is located in Creek County
- Bristow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Shamrock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shamrock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
- Shamrock is located in Creek County
- Estimated population in 2013: 102 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shamrock <2>
- Slick
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Drumright
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drumright have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drumright
- Drumright is located in Creek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,814 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Drumright <2>
- Kellyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawrence Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence Creek
- Lawrence Creek is located in Creek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
- Oilton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Silver City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Silver City is located in Creek County
- Mounds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mounds have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds
- Mounds is located in Creek County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,244 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mounds <2>
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Stroud
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- South Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Village
- South Village is located in Lincoln County
- Davenport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davenport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
- Davenport is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davenport <2>
- Kendrick
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendrick
- Kendrick is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Avery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
- Avery is located in Lincoln County
- Prague
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sparks
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sparks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks
- Sparks is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparks <2>
- Parkland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parkland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
- Parkland is located in Lincoln County
- Chandler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Agra
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agra have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agra
- Agra is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Agra <2>
- Meeker
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeker have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeker
- Meeker is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,140 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meeker <2>
- Tryon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tryon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryon
- Tryon is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tryon <2>
- Okfuskee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Mason
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Mason is located in Okfuskee County
- Paden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Ixl
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ixl have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ixl
- Ixl is located in Okfuskee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Boley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Castle
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle
- Castle is located in Okfuskee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
- Okemah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bearden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bearden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearden
- Bearden is located in Okfuskee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Clearview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview
- Clearview is located in Okfuskee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Okmulgee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Beggs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Preston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Winchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Winchester is located in Okmulgee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 514 people
- Pawnee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Jennings
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Quay
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quay
- Quay is located in Pawnee County
- Terlton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terlton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terlton
- Terlton is located in Pawnee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Terlton <2>
- Payne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- North Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Village
- North Village is located in Payne County
- Cushing
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cartoco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartoco
- Cartoco is located in Payne County
- Yale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cottingham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cottingham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottingham
- Cottingham is located in Payne County
- Ripley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ripley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Ripley is located in Payne County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 414 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ripley <2>
- Pottawatomie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Johnson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
- Johnson is located in Pottawatomie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
- Aydelotte
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aydelotte
- Aydelotte is located in Pottawatomie County
- Seminole County
- Cromwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cromwell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
- Cromwell is located in Seminole County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cromwell <2>
- Tulsa County
- Liberty
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Liberty is located in Tulsa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 219 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ritts Junction, see our County-by-County Page for Ritts Junction.
Cemeteries Near Ritts Junction ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ritts Junction.
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 Ritts Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Mutteloke Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mutteloke Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mutteloke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Big Pond Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Pond Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Pond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oakdale Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakdale Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Little Creek Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Creek Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Creek Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Memorial Club Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Club Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Club Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Polly Long Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Polly Long Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Polly Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bucktrot Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bucktrot Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bucktrot Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Key West Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Key West Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Key West Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hanna Brown - Tiger Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanna Brown - Tiger Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanna Brown - Tiger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Eddie Harry Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eddie Harry Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eddie Harry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- County Farm Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Farm Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Poor Boy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poor Boy Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poor Boy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (208 more) ...
- Golden Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Golden Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Golden Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hosey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hosey Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hosey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Wilson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Ritts Junction in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ritts Junction.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ritts Junction, with the one closest to Ritts Junction listed first.
- Stroud
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Arlington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Arlington is located in Lincoln County
- Davenport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davenport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
- Davenport is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davenport <2>
- Parkland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parkland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
- Parkland is located in Lincoln County
- Chandler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cushing
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bellemont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellemont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellemont
- Bellemont is located in Pottawatomie County
- Clifton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Clifton is located in Lincoln County
- Warwick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick
- Warwick is located in Lincoln County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ritts Junction. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ritts Junction.
Newspapers Published in Ritts Junction ...
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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ritts Junction.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ritts Junction, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ritts Junction.
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 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 Ritts Junction:
- Websites specific to Oklahoma
- Pages specific to Creek County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lincoln County
- Okfuskee County
- Okmulgee County
- Pawnee County
- Payne County
- Pottawatomie County
- Seminole County
- Tulsa County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Oklahoma
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ritts Junction. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | 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. |
<4> | 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. |
<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 Ritts Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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- Ritts Junction) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ritts Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.7412, Longitude: -96.5122 In this case, the coordinates for Ritts Junction have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |