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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 Jay (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 Jay. 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.

Jay is located in Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa County: Escambia (AL), Escambia & Okaloosa.

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

  • Santa Rosa County     (The home county of Jay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Belandville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belandville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belandville
      • Belandville is located in Santa Rosa County
    • Milton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Santa Rosa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,785 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milton <2>
    • Pace
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bagdad
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Galt City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galt City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt City
      • Galt City is located in Santa Rosa County
    • Harold
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Escambia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Century
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Byrneville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byrneville
      • Byrneville is located in Escambia County
    • McDavid
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDavid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDavid
      • McDavid is located in Escambia County
    • Pine Barren
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Barren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Barren
      • Pine Barren is located in Escambia County
    • Molino
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Walnut Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Barrineau Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrineau Park
      • Barrineau Park is located in Escambia County
    • Gonzalez
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gonzalez have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gonzalez
      • Gonzalez is located in Escambia County
    • Cantonment
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Muscogee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscogee
      • Muscogee is located in Escambia County
    • Ensley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Ferry Pass
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Pass have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Pass
      • Ferry Pass is located in Escambia County
  • Okaloosa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Otahite ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Otahite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otahite
      • Otahite is located in Okaloosa County
    • Baker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Cannon Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Town
      • Cannon Town is located in Okaloosa County
    • Holt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Baldwin County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Perdido
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Phillipsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsville
      • Phillipsville is located in Baldwin County (AL)
  • Conecuh County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Castleberry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castleberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castleberry
      • Castleberry is located in Conecuh County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
    • Range
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Range
      • Range is located in Conecuh County (AL)
    • Lenox
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
      • Lenox is located in Conecuh County (AL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenox <2>
    • Johnsonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonville
      • Johnsonville is located in Conecuh County (AL)
    • Sparta ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sparta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Sparta is located in Conecuh County (AL)
      • Sparta has also been known as:
      • Old Sparta
    • Nymph
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nymph
      • Nymph is located in Conecuh County (AL)
    • Jay Villa ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay Villa
      • Jay Villa is located in Conecuh County (AL)
    • Brooklyn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Conecuh County (AL)
  • Escambia County (AL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jay, with the one closest to Jay listed first.
    • Pollard
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pollard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
      • Pollard is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
    • Flomaton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flomaton
      • Flomaton is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flomaton <2>
    • Riverview
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
      • Riverview is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
    • Brewton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewton
      • Brewton is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,141 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brewton <2>
    • East Brewton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Brewton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brewton
      • East Brewton is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,326 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Brewton <2>
    • Hammac
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hammac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammac
      • Hammac is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Atmore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atmore
      • Atmore is located in Escambia County (AL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atmore <2>
    • Bradley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Huxford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxford
      • Huxford is located in Escambia County (AL)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Jay ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jay.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Jay. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Jay and those printed in the larger area surrounding Jay.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Jay.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Jay:

Cemeteries Near Jay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jay.

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

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

  • Concord Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord Cemetery
  • Henderson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Henderson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henderson Cemetery
  • Cora Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cora Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cora Cemetery
  • Gay Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gay Cemetery
  • Pine Level Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Level Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Level Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Pollard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pollard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pollard Cemetery
  • Hollywood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hollywood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollywood Cemetery
  • Old Fidelis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Fidelis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Fidelis Cemetery
  • Odom Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Odom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Odom Cemetery
  • Carlney Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carlney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carlney Cemetery
  • Walling Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walling Cemetery
  • Continue List   (154 more) ...
    • Crossroads Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crossroads Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crossroads Cemetery
    • Dixonville Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dixonville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dixonville Cemetery
    • Green Acres Memorial Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Acres Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Acres Memorial Park

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

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

  • Pollard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pollard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
    • Pollard is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
  • Flomaton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flomaton
    • Flomaton is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,377 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flomaton <2>
  • Berrydale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrydale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrydale
    • Berrydale is located in Santa Rosa County
  • Bluff Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Springs
    • Bluff Springs is located in Escambia County
  • McDavid
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDavid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDavid
    • McDavid is located in Escambia County
  • Brewton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewton
    • Brewton is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,141 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brewton <2>
  • Hammac
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hammac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammac
    • Hammac is located in Escambia County (AL)
  • Chumuckla
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chumuckla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chumuckla
    • Chumuckla is located in Santa Rosa County
  • Pine Barren
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Barren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Barren
    • Pine Barren is located in Escambia County
  • Roberts
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
    • Roberts is located in Escambia County (AL)
  • Kirkland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
    • Kirkland is located in Escambia County (AL)
  • Wallace
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wallace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
    • Wallace is located in Escambia County (AL)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Molino
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Boykin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boykin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
      • Boykin is located in Escambia County (AL)
    • Quintette
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quintette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quintette
      • Quintette is located in Escambia County

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

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

The official website for Santa Rosa County: www.co.santa-rosa.fl.us/

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

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 'straight-line' (or 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- Jay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Jay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.9530, Longitude: -87.1505    
<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 Jay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024