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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 West 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 West 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.

Name Variations for West Bay ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Bay: W. Bay

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

West Bay is located in Bay 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 Bay County: Calhoun, Gulf, Jackson, Walton & Washington.

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

  • Bay County     (The home county of West Bay)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Laguna Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunnyside
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Panama City Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • West Panama City Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Panama City Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Panama City Beach
      • West Panama City Beach is located in Bay County
    • Pretty Bayou
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pretty Bayou have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pretty Bayou
      • Pretty Bayou is located in Bay County
    • Upper Grand Lagoon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upper Grand Lagoon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Grand Lagoon
      • Upper Grand Lagoon is located in Bay County
    • Lynn Haven
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Southport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Vicksburg ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vicksburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vicksburg
      • Vicksburg is located in Bay County
      • Former name for Vicksburg:
      • Vickerburg
    • Lower Grand Lagoon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Grand Lagoon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Grand Lagoon
      • Lower Grand Lagoon is located in Bay County
    • Magnolia Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia Beach
      • Magnolia Beach is located in Bay County
    • Hiland Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiland Park
      • Hiland Park is located in Bay County
  • Holmes County
    • Ponce de Leon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Walton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Inlet Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Alys Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rosemary Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Point Washington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Seagrove Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Seaside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Grayton Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Blue Mountain Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Freeport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Santa Rosa Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Knox Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
      • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
    • Portland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Bay, with the one closest to West Bay listed first.
    • Ebro
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebro
      • Ebro is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ebro <1>
    • Millers Ferry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millers Ferry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
      • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
    • Coosada Old Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Vernon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wausau
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Five Points
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
      • Five Points is located in Washington County
    • Brock Crossroad
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock Crossroad
      • Brock Crossroad is located in Washington County

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

Cemeteries Near West Bay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West 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 West Bay covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Ebro Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebro Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sand Hill Community Church Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Hill Community Church Cemetery
    • The Sand Hill Community Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Kingdom Life Ministries Cemetery
    • Victory Faith Tabernacle Cemetery
    • Victory of Faith Fellowship Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2267647 <4>
  • Bay Memorial Park
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bay Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bay Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lynn Haven Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lynn Haven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lynn Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Millville Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Millville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Millville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Redwood Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dead River Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dead River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dead River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • Bayou George Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Wilcox Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilcox Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilcox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Miller Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
      • 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.

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

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

  • Millers Ferry
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millers Ferry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Ferry
    • Millers Ferry is located in Washington County
  • Redbay
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Freeport
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Knox Hill
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox Hill
    • Knox Hill is located in Walton County
  • Portland
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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

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

Newspapers Published in West 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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Bay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Bay, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Bay.

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 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 West Bay:

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

The official website for Bay County: www.co.bay.fl.us/

The official website for State of Florida: https://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>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>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 West Bay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- West Bay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.2919, Longitude: -85.8597       In this case, the coordinates for West Bay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025