RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Oklahoma >> Seminole County >> Sylvian >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Sylvian (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 Sylvian. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Sylvian is located in Seminole 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 Seminole County: Hughes, Okfuskee, Pontotoc & Pottawatomie.

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

  • Seminole County     (The home county of Sylvian)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sylvian, with the one closest to Sylvian listed first.
    • Cromwell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Seminole
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lima
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Lima is located in Seminole County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Wewoka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bowlegs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sasakwa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Konawa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Creek County
  • Hughes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sylvian, with the one closest to Sylvian listed first.
    • Yeager
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Yeager is located in Hughes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeager
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
    • Wetumka
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Holdenville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Spaulding
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Spaulding is located in Hughes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
    • Horntown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Horntown is located in Hughes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horntown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Atwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dustin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Dustin is located in Hughes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dustin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
    • Lamar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sylvian, with the one closest to Sylvian listed first.
    • Prague
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Meeker
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sparks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Jacktown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jacktown is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacktown
    • Davenport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Stroud
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Chandler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Okfuskee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sylvian, with the one closest to Sylvian listed first.
    • Bearden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Bearden is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Paden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Boley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Boley is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,167 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boley <1>
    • Castle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Castle is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Okemah
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ixl
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ixl is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ixl
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Mason
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mason is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
    • Clearview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Clearview is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
    • Weleetka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Pharoah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Pharoah is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pharoah
    • Okfuskee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Okfuskee is located in Okfuskee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okfuskee
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sylvian, with the one closest to Sylvian listed first.
    • Bellemont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellemont is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellemont
    • Earlsboro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Johnson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Johnson is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
    • Maud
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Maud is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maud <1>
    • Aydelotte
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Aydelotte is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aydelotte
    • Shawnee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Shawnee is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shawnee <1>
    • Tecumseh
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Brooksville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Brooksville is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooksville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Saint Louis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bethel Acres
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Bethel Acres is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,262 people
    • Sacred Heart
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
    • Dale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Dale is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Macomb
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Macomb is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Sylvian ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sylvian.

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

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

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

  • Snake Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Harjo Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • McCulah Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Schoolton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Giles Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Keokuk Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Plenty Faith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sand Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Chisholm Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Payne Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Bruner Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Kinnelworth Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (230 more) ...
    • Sweutka Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Rusk Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Shady Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)

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

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

  • Bellemont
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bellemont is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellemont
  • Arlington
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Arlington is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
  • Shawnee
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Shawnee is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,555 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shawnee <1>
  • Tecumseh
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Clifton
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
  • Romulus
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Romulus is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romulus
  • Sacred Heart
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sacred Heart is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart
  • Davenport
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Dale
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Dale is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
  • Stroud
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Anderson
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Anderson is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson

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

Newspapers Published in Sylvian ...

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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sylvian.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sylvian, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sylvian.

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 helpful 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 Sylvian:

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 Sylvian, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sylvian) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.