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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 Grand Bay (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 Grand Bay. 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 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.

Grand Bay is located in Mobile County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mobile County: Baldwin, Washington, George (MS), Greene (MS) & Jackson (MS).

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

  • Mobile County     (The home county of Grand Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grand Bay, with the one closest to Grand Bay listed first.
    • Saint Elmo
      (5 miles [8 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
    • Irvington
      (6 miles [9.7 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
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irvington <2>
    • Bayou La Batre
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayou La Batre <2>
    • Coden
      (8 miles [12.9 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
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coden <2>
    • Theodore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Theodore <2>
    • Tillmans Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillmans Corner
      • Tillmans Corner is located in Mobile County
    • Bellefontaine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefontaine
      • Bellefontaine is located in Mobile County
    • Mon Louis
      (14 miles [22.5 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
    • Alabama Port
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Country Club Village
      (18 miles [29 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
    • Dauphin Island
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dauphin Island
      • Dauphin Island is located in Mobile County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,366 people
    • Semmes
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Fort Gaines ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Gaines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Gaines
      • Fort Gaines is located in Mobile County
  • Baldwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grand Bay, with the one closest to Grand Bay listed first.
    • Point Clear
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Clear have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Clear
      • Point Clear is located in Baldwin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Point Clear <2>
    • Fort Morgan ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Morgan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Morgan
      • Fort Morgan is located in Baldwin County
      • Former name for Fort Morgan:
      • Fort Bowyer
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Morgan <2>
    • Fairhope
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Montrose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Daphne
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daphne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daphne
      • Daphne is located in Baldwin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,719 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Daphne <2>
    • Park City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Baldwin County
    • Spanish Fort
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • George County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grand Bay, with the one closest to Grand Bay listed first.
    • Howell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
      • Howell is located in George County (MS)
    • Agricola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jackson County (MS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grand Bay, with the one closest to Grand Bay listed first.
    • Orange Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 (MS)
    • Helena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Jackson County (MS)
    • Big Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Point
      • Big Point is located in Jackson County (MS)
    • Moss Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • 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 (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Point <2>
    • Coll Town
      (12 miles [19.3 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 (MS)
    • Escatawpa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • 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 (MS)
    • Pascagoula
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hurley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 (MS)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurley <2>
    • Wade
      (17 miles [27.4 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 (MS)
    • Hickory Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 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 (MS)
    • Martin Bluff
      (17 miles [27.4 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 (MS)
    • Gautier
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • 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 (MS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gautier <2>
    • Brewton ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brewton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewton
      • Brewton is located in Jackson County (MS)
      • Brewton has also been known as:
      • Brewer's Bluff

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Grand Bay ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grand Bay.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Grand Bay. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Grand Bay and those printed in the larger area surrounding Grand Bay.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4> of Grand Bay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Grand Bay:

Cemeteries Near Grand Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grand Bay.

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

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

  • Grand Bay Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Bay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Bay Cemetery
  • Piner McGrew Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Piner McGrew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Piner McGrew Cemetery
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
  • Dees Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Beverly Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beverly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beverly Cemetery
  • Forts Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Kivisto Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Oddfellows Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oddfellows Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oddfellows Cemetery
  • Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lawn Haven Memorial Gardens
  • Union Baptist Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Tates Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tates Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tates Cemetery
  • Continue List   (173 more) ...
    • Serenity Memorial Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Serenity Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Serenity Memorial Gardens
    • Orange Grove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Catholic Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)

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 Grand Bay had a population of 85 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Fernland
    (2 miles [3.2 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
  • Saint Elmo
    (5 miles [8 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
  • Bayou La Batre
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,457 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bayou La Batre <2>
  • Orange Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • 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 (MS)
  • Coden
    (8 miles [12.9 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
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coden <2>
  • Fowl River
    (10 miles [16.1 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
  • Moss Point
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • 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 (MS)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,226 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moss Point <2>
  • Theodore
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Theodore <2>
  • Escatawpa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • 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 (MS)
  • Pascagoula
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Mon Louis
    (14 miles [22.5 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
  • Three Rivers
    (15 miles [24.1 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 (MS)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cox
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox
      • Cox is located in Mobile County
    • Spring Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Mobile County
    • Vancleave
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)

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

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

The official website for Mobile County: www.mobilecounty.org/

The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.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>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.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Grand Bay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Grand Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.4763, Longitude: -88.3422       In this case, the coordinates for Grand Bay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Grand Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024