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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 Shoals (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 Shoals. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Shoals is located in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County: Atoka, Bryan, McCurtain, Pushmataha, Lamar (TX) & Red River (TX).

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

  • Choctaw County     (The home county of Shoals)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shoals, with the one closest to Shoals listed first.
    • Frogville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frogville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogville
      • Frogville is located in Choctaw County
    • Grant
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Sawyer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Sawyer is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sawyer <2>
    • Hugo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugo
      • Hugo is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,070 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hugo <2>
    • Virgil
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
      • Virgil is located in Choctaw County
    • Fort Towson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Towson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Towson
      • Fort Towson is located in Choctaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Towson <2>
    • Swink
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Apple
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple
      • Apple is located in Choctaw County
    • Spencerville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Soper
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Boswell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • McCurtain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shoals, with the one closest to Shoals listed first.
    • Valliant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Rufe
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Slim
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slim
      • Slim is located in McCurtain County
    • Millerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millerton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in McCurtain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 313 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millerton <2>
    • Wright City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wright City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright City
      • Wright City is located in McCurtain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wright City <2>
    • Garvin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Ringold
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Golden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Pushmataha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shoals, with the one closest to Shoals listed first.
    • Belzoni
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belzoni
      • Belzoni is located in Pushmataha County
    • Corinne
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinne
      • Corinne is located in Pushmataha County
    • Rattan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Oleta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oleta
      • Oleta is located in Pushmataha County
    • Ethel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ethel
      • Ethel is located in Pushmataha County
    • Antlers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cloudy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloudy
      • Cloudy is located in Pushmataha County
    • Finley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Lamar County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shoals, with the one closest to Shoals listed first.
    • Arthur City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur City
      • Arthur City is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arthur City <2>
    • Novice
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
      • Novice is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Pin Hook
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pin Hook
      • Pin Hook is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Midcity
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midcity
      • Midcity is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Midcity has also been known as:
      • Trout Spur
      • Trout
    • Powderly
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Chicota
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Camp Maxey ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camp Maxey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Maxey
      • Camp Maxey is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Hinckley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
      • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Razor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Razor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Razor
      • Razor is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Sun Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Valley
      • Sun Valley is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
    • Caviness
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caviness
      • Caviness is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Blossom
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
      • Blossom is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blossom <2>
  • Red River County (TX)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shoals, with the one closest to Shoals listed first.
    • Kanawha
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
      • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Addielou
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addielou
      • Addielou is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Detroit
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Red River County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <2>
    • Silver City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Bagwell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Liberty
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Greenwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Red River County (TX)
    • Clarksville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherry
      • Sherry is located in Red River County (TX)

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

Newspapers Published in Shoals ...

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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shoals.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shoals, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shoals.

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 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 Shoals:

Cemeteries Near Shoals ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shoals.

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

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

  • Oaks Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaks Cemetery
  • Missionary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Missionary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Missionary Cemetery
  • Everidge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Everidge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Everidge Cemetery
  • Durant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Durant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Durant Cemetery
  • Frogville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frogville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frogville Cemetery
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Hill Cemetery
  • Shoat Springs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shoat Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shoat Springs Cemetery
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
  • Jones Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
  • Grant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Cemetery
  • Springhill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springhill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (139 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Crosley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crosley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crosley Cemetery
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery

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

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

  • Arthur City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arthur City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur City
    • Arthur City is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arthur City <2>
  • Kanawha
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
    • Kanawha is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Powderly
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • Woodland is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Chicota
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Hinckley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinckley
    • Hinckley is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Manchester
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Manchester is located in Red River County (TX)
  • Givens
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Givens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Givens
    • Givens is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Reno
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Reno is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,349 people
  • Blossom
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
    • Blossom is located in Lamar County (TX)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blossom <2>
  • Emberson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emberson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emberson
    • Emberson is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Sylvan
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Sylvan is located in Lamar County (TX)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Paris
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
      • Paris is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,872 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paris <2>
    • Detroit
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Detroit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Red River County (TX)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Detroit <2>
    • Sumner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sumner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
      • Sumner is located in Lamar County (TX)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumner <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shoals. 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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Shoals) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shoals. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8979, Longitude: -95.3977       In this case, the coordinates for Shoals have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Shoals, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024