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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 Velma (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 Velma. 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.

Velma is located in Stephens 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 Stephens County: Carter, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady & Jefferson.

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

  • Stephens County     (The home county of Velma)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Loco
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loco
      • Loco is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 118 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loco <2>
    • Bray
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bray
      • Bray is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bray <2>
    • Duncan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
      • Duncan is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncan <2>
    • Meridian
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meridian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
      • Meridian is located in Stephens County
    • Comanche
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comanche have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comanche
      • Comanche is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Comanche <2>
    • Marlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Empire City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Empire City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire City
      • Empire City is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 889 people
    • Oil City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Stephens County
    • Gas City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gas City
      • Gas City is located in Stephens County
    • Central High
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central High have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central High
      • Central High is located in Stephens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,171 people
  • Carter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Countyline
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Tussy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pruitt City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pruitt City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruitt City
      • Pruitt City is located in Carter County
    • Ratliff City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ratliff City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ratliff City
      • Ratliff City is located in Carter County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ratliff City <2>
    • Pike City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pike City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
      • Pike City is located in Carter County
    • Tatums
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tatums have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatums
      • Tatums is located in Carter County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tatums <2>
    • Fox
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Clemscott
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemscott
      • Clemscott is located in Carter County
    • Pooleville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Graham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Healdton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Oil City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Carter County
    • Milo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Comanche County
    • Bethel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Comanche County
  • Garvin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Pernell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Foster
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Hennepin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Elmore City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Katie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Katie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katie
      • Katie is located in Garvin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
    • Wallville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallville
      • Wallville is located in Garvin County
    • Antioch
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Garvin County
    • Erin Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Lindsay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Maysville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Whitebead
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitebead
      • Whitebead is located in Garvin County
      • Whitebead has also been known as:
      • White Bead
  • Grady County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Cox City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox City
      • Cox City is located in Grady County
    • Rush Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Springs
      • Rush Springs is located in Grady County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rush Springs <2>
    • Bradley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Ringling
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ringling have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringling
      • Ringling is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ringling <2>
    • Cornish
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornish have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornish
      • Cornish is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Addington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Waurika
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grady
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
      • Grady is located in Jefferson County
    • Hastings
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Love County
    • Orr
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
      • Orr is located in Love County
  • Murray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Velma, with the one closest to Velma listed first.
    • Davis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Davis is located in Murray County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davis <2>
    • Cedar Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Village
      • Cedar Village is located in Murray County
    • Washita
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washita
      • Washita is located in Murray County

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

Newspapers Published in Velma ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Velma.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Velma, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Velma.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Velma:

Cemeteries Near Velma ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Velma.

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

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

  • New Velma Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • The New Velma Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Velma Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Velma Cemetery
  • Old Velma Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Old Jackson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • The Old Jackson Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Scott Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Jackson Cemetery
  • Passmore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Passmore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Passmore Cemetery
  • Alma Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alma Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alma Cemetery
  • Claude Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Claude Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Claude Cemetery
  • Parks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parks Cemetery
  • Mountain Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain Grove Cemetery
  • Tussy Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Loco Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Loco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Loco Cemetery
  • Ratliff City Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ratliff City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ratliff City Cemetery
  • Weaver Chapel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weaver Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weaver Chapel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (93 more) ...
    • Owens Prairie Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Owens Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Owens Prairie Cemetery
    • Old Monk Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Monk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Monk Cemetery
    • Dripping Springs Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

  • Woodford
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
    • Woodford is located in Carter County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Velma. 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>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 from Point A (ie- Velma) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Velma. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4548, Longitude: -97.6617       In this case, the coordinates for Velma have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Velma, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024