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 Bridgeport (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 Bridgeport. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Bridgeport is located in Simpson County.
To see how the shape of Mississippi's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Simpson County: Copiah, Covington, Hinds, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Rankin & Smith.
Below are the counties that are near Bridgeport. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bridgeport:
- Simpson County (The home county of Bridgeport)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Shivers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Shivers is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
- Westville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Westville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Braxton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- D'Lo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Mendenhall
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jaynesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Jaynesville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaynesville
- Sanatorium
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sanatorium is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanatorium
- Magee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Coats
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Coats is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
- Copiah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Georgetown
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Georgetown is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Hopewell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hopewell is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Sardis
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sardis is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
- Beauregard
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Beauregard is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Hazlehurst
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Martinsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Martinsville is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Crystal Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wesson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Glancy
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Glancy is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glancy
- Bowerton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bowerton is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerton
- Covington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Mount Olive
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Olive is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Arbo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Arbo is located in Covington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbo
- Hinds County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Terry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Byram
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Thompsonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Thompsonville is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Choctaw Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Choctaw Village is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choctaw Village
- Bear Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Creek is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
- Midway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Hinds County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Jefferson Davis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Prentiss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Vale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
- Bassfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bassfield is located in Jefferson Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- New Hebron
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grange ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grange is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
- Tryus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tryus is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
- Hooker
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hooker is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Rosella
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Rosella is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
- Silver Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Nola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Nola is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
- Monticello
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Arm
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Arm is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
- Tilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Tilton is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Montgomery
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Montgomery is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- New Sight
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- New Sight is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sight
- Brookhaven
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wellman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wellman is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
- Rankin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Alonzo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Alonzo is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alonzo
- Clear Branch
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Clear Branch is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- King
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- King is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Whites
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Whites is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
- Cato
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cato is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cato
- Florence
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Puckett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Puckett is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puckett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
- Galilee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Galilee is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galilee
- Richland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Greenfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Greenfield is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Pearson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pearson is located in Rankin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearson
- Smith County
- Daniel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Daniel is located in Smith County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bridgeport, see our County-by-County Page for Bridgeport.
Cemeteries Near Bridgeport ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bridgeport.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Bridgeport - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bridgeport covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Armstrong - Buckley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Taylor Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Norman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Peacock Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lily Mae Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Galilee Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lowe Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (442 more) ...
- Georgetown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Shivers Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Owens Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Bridgeport in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bridgeport.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bridgeport, with the one closest to Bridgeport listed first.
- Rockport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rockport is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport
- Georgetown
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Georgetown is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Shivers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Shivers is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shivers
- Westville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Westville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Harrisville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Harrisville is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisville
- Ashley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Ashley is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley
- Tryus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tryus is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryus
- Grange ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grange is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
- Hooker
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hooker is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Pearl
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pearl is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
- Silver Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- D'Lo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- D'Lo is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for D'Lo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Braxton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Braxton is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- Beech Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Beech Grove is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Grove
- Beauregard
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Beauregard is located in Copiah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauregard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bridgeport. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bridgeport.
Newspapers Published in Bridgeport ...
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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bridgeport.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bridgeport, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bridgeport.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Bridgeport:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Simpson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Copiah County
- Covington County
- Hinds County
- Jefferson Davis County
- Lawrence County
- Lincoln County
- Rankin County
- Smith County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
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> | 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 Bridgeport, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 from Point A (ie- Bridgeport) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |