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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 Watson (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 Watson. 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.

Watson is located in McCurtain 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 McCurtain County: Little River (AR), Polk (AR), Sevier (AR), Choctaw, Le Flore, Pushmataha, Bowie (TX) & Red River (TX).

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

  • McCurtain County     (The home county of Watson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Smithville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bethel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Battiest
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Hochatown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pickens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Eagletown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Broken Bow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Le Flore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Octavia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Big Cedar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cedar
      • Big Cedar is located in Le Flore County
    • Ludlow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludlow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Ludlow is located in Le Flore County
    • Muse
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Honobia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Whitesboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Conser
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conser
      • Conser is located in Le Flore County
    • Hodgen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodgen
      • Hodgen is located in Le Flore County
      • Former name for Hodgen:
      • Hodgens
      • Hodgen has also been known as:
      • Hodgens Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hodgen <1>
    • Petros
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petros
      • Petros is located in Le Flore County
  • Calhoun County (AR)
    • Unco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unco
      • Unco is located in Calhoun County (AR)
  • Howard County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Galena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
      • Galena is located in Howard County (AR)
    • Umpire
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Umpire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umpire
      • Umpire is located in Howard County (AR)
  • Polk County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Cove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Cove is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cove <1>
    • Hatfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bog Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bog Springs
      • Bog Springs is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Vandervoort
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandervoort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandervoort
      • Vandervoort is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Hatton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
      • Hatton is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Potter
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Wickes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickes
      • Wickes is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wickes <1>
    • Potter Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Junction
      • Potter Junction is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Grannis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grannis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grannis
      • Grannis is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • Dallas
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Mena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mena
      • Mena is located in Polk County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,410 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mena <1>
    • Rich Mountain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Mountain
      • Rich Mountain is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Sevier County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Gillham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillham
      • Gillham is located in Sevier County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
    • De Queen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Queen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Queen
      • De Queen is located in Sevier County (AR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Queen <1>
    • Process City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Process City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Process City
      • Process City is located in Sevier County (AR)

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

Newspapers Published in Watson ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watson, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watson.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Watson:

Cemeteries Near Watson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watson.

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

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

  • Watson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watson Cemetery
  • Beechtree Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beechtree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beechtree Cemetery
  • Smithville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smithville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smithville Cemetery
  • Old Smithville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Smithville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Smithville Cemetery
  • Buffalo Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Cemetery
  • Westview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westview Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Nichols Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Cecil Chapel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cecil Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cecil Chapel Cemetery
  • Foote Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foote Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foote Cemetery
  • Sixmile Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sixmile Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sixmile Cemetery
  • Octavia Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Octavia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Octavia Cemetery
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • Oak Grove Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Cecil Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cecil Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cecil Cemetery
    • Gann Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gann 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.<4>

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

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

  • Cove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
    • Cove is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cove <1>
  • Potter
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
    • Potter is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Rocky
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky
    • Rocky is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Mountain Fork
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Fork
    • Mountain Fork is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Dallas
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
    • Dallas is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Duckett
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duckett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duckett
    • Duckett is located in Howard County (AR)
  • Rich Mountain
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rich Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Mountain
    • Rich Mountain is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Hartley
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
    • Hartley is located in Polk County (AR)
  • Black Fork
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Fork
    • Black Fork is located in Scott County (AR)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Antimony ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antimony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antimony
      • Antimony is located in Howard County (AR)
    • Ink
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ink have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ink
      • Ink is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Board Camp
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Board Camp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Board Camp
      • Board Camp is located in Polk County (AR)
    • Galena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
      • Galena is located in Howard County (AR)
    • Chapel Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chapel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
      • Chapel Hill is located in Sevier County (AR)
    • Gate ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gate
      • Gate is located in Scott County (AR)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Watson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Watson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4372, Longitude: -94.5567    
<4>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 Watson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024