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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 Helena (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 Helena. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Helena is located in Jackson County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Mobile (AL), George, Harrison & Stone.

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Helena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Coll Town
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coll Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coll Town
      • Coll Town is located in Jackson County
    • Escatawpa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Escatawpa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escatawpa
      • Escatawpa is located in Jackson County
    • Moss Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Point
      • Moss Point is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Point <2>
    • Orange Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Grove
      • Orange Grove is located in Jackson County
    • Big Point
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Point
      • Big Point is located in Jackson County
    • Hickory Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hills
      • Hickory Hills is located in Jackson County
    • Martin Bluff
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martin Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Bluff
      • Martin Bluff is located in Jackson County
    • Pascagoula
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hurley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hurley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurley
      • Hurley is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurley <2>
    • Wade
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wade have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
      • Wade is located in Jackson County
    • Gautier
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gautier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gautier
      • Gautier is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gautier <2>
    • Vancleave
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • George County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Agricola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Howell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
      • Howell is located in George County
    • Lucedale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lucedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucedale
      • Lucedale is located in George County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lucedale <2>
  • Harrison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Biloxi
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biloxi
      • Biloxi is located in Harrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46,127 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Biloxi <2>
    • D'Iberville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for D'Iberville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Iberville
      • D'Iberville is located in Harrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,981 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for D'Iberville <2>
    • Beauvoir
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauvoir
      • Beauvoir is located in Harrison County
    • Wool Market
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wool Market
      • Wool Market is located in Harrison County
      • Wool Market has also been known as:
      • Woolmarket
    • Coalville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
      • Coalville is located in Harrison County
  • Mobile County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Grand Bay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Bay
      • Grand Bay is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Bay <2>
    • Saint Elmo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
      • Saint Elmo is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Bayou La Batre
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayou La Batre have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou La Batre
      • Bayou La Batre is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayou La Batre <2>
    • Irvington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irvington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
      • Irvington is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irvington <2>
    • Coden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coden
      • Coden is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coden <2>
    • Theodore
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Theodore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theodore
      • Theodore is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Theodore <2>
    • Tillmans Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillmans Corner
      • Tillmans Corner is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Bellefontaine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefontaine
      • Bellefontaine is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Mon Louis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mon Louis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mon Louis
      • Mon Louis is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Alabama Port
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alabama Port have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama Port
      • Alabama Port is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Country Club Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Club Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club Village
      • Country Club Village is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Semmes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Semmes
      • Semmes is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,736 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Semmes <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Helena ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helena.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Helena, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Helena.

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 Helena:

Cemeteries Near Helena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helena.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Wolf Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wolf Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wolf Ridge Cemetery
  • Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • Hudson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hudson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hudson Cemetery
  • Mormon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mormon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mormon Cemetery
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
  • Kivisto Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kivisto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kivisto Cemetery
  • Dees Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dees Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dees Cemetery
  • Coleman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coleman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coleman Cemetery
  • First MB Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens
  • Orange Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orange Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Grove Cemetery
  • Continue List   (210 more) ...
    • Forts Lake Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forts Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forts Lake Cemetery
    • Griffin Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Paul Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul 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 Helena in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Helena.

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

  • Escatawpa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Escatawpa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Escatawpa
    • Escatawpa is located in Jackson County
  • Moss Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Point
    • Moss Point is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,226 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Point <2>
  • Orange Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orange Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Grove
    • Orange Grove is located in Jackson County
  • Three Rivers
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Rivers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
    • Three Rivers is located in Jackson County
  • Pascagoula
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Grand Bay
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Bay
    • Grand Bay is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Bay <2>
  • Vancleave
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Fernland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fernland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernland
    • Fernland is located in Mobile County (AL)
  • Fort Bayou ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Bayou
    • Fort Bayou is located in Jackson County
  • Saint Elmo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
    • Saint Elmo is located in Mobile County (AL)
  • Americus ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Americus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
    • Americus is located in Jackson County
  • Bayou La Batre
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayou La Batre have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayou La Batre
    • Bayou La Batre is located in Mobile County (AL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,457 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayou La Batre <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Coden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coden
      • Coden is located in Mobile County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coden <2>
    • Ocean Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Springs
      • Ocean Springs is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,791 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean Springs <2>
    • Fowl River
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fowl River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowl River
      • Fowl River is located in Mobile County (AL)

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

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

The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.ms.us/

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.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 '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- Helena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Helena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.4946, Longitude: -88.4958       In this case, the coordinates for Helena 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 Helena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024