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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 Mossy Head (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 Mossy Head. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Mossy Head is located in Walton County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Walton County: Covington (AL), Geneva (AL), Bay, Holmes, Okaloosa & Washington.

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

  • Walton County     (The home county of Mossy Head)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mossy Head, with the one closest to Mossy Head listed first.
    • De Funiak Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Pleasant Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Walton County
    • Argyle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Paxton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Freeport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Knox Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
    • Santa Rosa Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • The Village of Baytowne Wharf
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Village of Baytowne Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Village of Baytowne Wharf
      • The Village of Baytowne Wharf is located in Walton County
    • Four Mile Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Mile Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile Village
      • Four Mile Village is located in Walton County
    • Miramar Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Sandestin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Blue Mountain Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Holmes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mossy Head, with the one closest to Mossy Head listed first.
    • Ponce de Leon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Westville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Izagora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Izagora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Izagora
      • Izagora is located in Holmes County
  • Okaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mossy Head, with the one closest to Mossy Head listed first.
    • Garden City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Okaloosa County
    • Crestview
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Svea
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svea
      • Svea is located in Okaloosa County
    • Laurel Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Niceville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Valparaiso
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Milligan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Baker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Cannon Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Town
      • Cannon Town is located in Okaloosa County
    • Eglin Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eglin Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglin Village
      • Eglin Village is located in Okaloosa County
    • Destin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Destin
      • Destin is located in Okaloosa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Destin <1>
    • Holt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mossy Head, with the one closest to Mossy Head listed first.
    • Coosada Old Town ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coosada Old Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coosada Old Town
      • Coosada Old Town is located in Washington County
    • Caryville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Millers Ferry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
  • Covington County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mossy Head, with the one closest to Mossy Head listed first.
    • Florala
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
      • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>
    • Lockhart
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockhart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockhart
      • Lockhart is located in Covington County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Wing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
      • Wing is located in Covington County (AL)
    • Falco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falco
      • Falco is located in Covington County (AL)
    • Red Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
      • Red Oak is located in Covington County (AL)
  • Geneva County (AL)
    • Samson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samson
      • Samson is located in Geneva County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,853 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Samson <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Mossy Head ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mossy Head.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mossy Head, 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 Mossy Head.

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 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 Mossy Head:

Cemeteries Near Mossy Head ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mossy Head.

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

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

  • Crowder Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowder Cemetery
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
  • Old Dorcas Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Dorcas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Dorcas Cemetery
  • Hart Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hart Cemetery
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • New Home Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Home Cemetery
  • Rock Hill Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Hill Cemetery
  • Miller Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
  • Magnolia Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Ray Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ray Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ray Cemetery
  • Hewas Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hewas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hewas Cemetery
  • Reeder Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reeder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reeder Cemetery
  • Continue List   (69 more) ...
    • Live Oak Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Live Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Live Oak Cemetery
    • Springhill Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Black Oak Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Oak 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Mossy Head had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Ealum
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ealum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ealum
    • Ealum is located in Walton County
  • Gordon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Gordon is located in Walton County
  • Argyle
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Union
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Union is located in Walton County
  • Portland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
    • Portland is located in Walton County
  • Eucheeanna
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eucheeanna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eucheeanna
    • Eucheeanna is located in Walton County
  • Florala
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florala
    • Florala is located in Covington County (AL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,891 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florala <1>
  • Freeport
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Knox Hill
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
  • Ponce de Leon
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Redbay
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redbay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbay
    • Redbay is located in Walton County
  • Cerrogordo
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerrogordo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerrogordo
    • Cerrogordo is located in Holmes County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Beda
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beda
      • Beda is located in Covington County (AL)
    • Westville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Vaughanville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughanville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughanville
      • Vaughanville is located in Geneva County (AL)

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

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

The official website for Walton County: www.co.walton.fl.us/

The official website for State of Florida: www.myflorida.com/

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mossy Head) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mossy Head. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.7434, Longitude: -86.3137    
<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 Mossy Head, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024