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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 Fortenberry (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 Fortenberry. 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/Parishes ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties/parishes.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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/parishes 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 north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties/parishes, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Fortenberry is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Washington (LA), Jefferson, Lamar, Lawrence, Pearl River & Walthall.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Fortenberry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Expose
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Expose is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Expose
    • Goss
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Goss is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
    • Columbia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kokomo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pinebur
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Pinebur is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinebur
    • Twin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Twin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin
  • Covington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Williamsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Seminary
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lux
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Lux is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lux
    • Sanford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sanford is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
    • Collins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kola is located in Covington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kola
  • Jefferson Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Oak Vale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
    • Bassfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bassfield is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Melba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Melba is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melba
    • Prentiss
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Prentiss is located in Jefferson Davis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prentiss <1>
  • Lamar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Sumrall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • West Hattiesburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
    • Purvis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Wells Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Wells Town is located in Lamar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Town
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Tilton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
    • Arm
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Arm is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arm
    • Monticello
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Verna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Verna is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verna
    • Hooker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Rosella
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rosella is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosella
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
    • New Hebron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Nola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Nola is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nola
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Topisaw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Topisaw is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
    • Holmesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
  • Walthall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Sartinville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Sartinville is located in Walthall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartinville
    • Tylertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington Parish (LA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortenberry, with the one closest to Fortenberry listed first.
    • Angie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Angie is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Angie <1>
    • Popeville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Popeville is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popeville
    • Varnado
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Varnado is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varnado
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Varnado <1>
    • Pine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Pine is located in Washington Parish (LA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine

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

Cemeteries Near Fortenberry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fortenberry.

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 Fortenberry - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fortenberry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Expose Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Emmanuel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Pope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Columbia City Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • North Columbia City Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgantown Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Foxworth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (563 more) ...
    • Smith Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Richland Creek Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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

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

  • Goss
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Goss is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
  • Columbia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pickwick
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Pickwick is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick
  • Oak Vale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Vale is located in Jefferson Davis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Vale
  • Tilton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Tilton is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
  • Spring Cottage
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Spring Cottage is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Cottage
  • Silver Creek
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Monticello
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Topisaw
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Topisaw is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topisaw
  • Popeville ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Popeville is located in Washington Parish (LA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popeville
  • Hooker
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hooker is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
  • Williamsburg
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Williamsburg is located in Covington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Holmesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Holmesville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmesville
    • Grange ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Grange is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange
    • Ruth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Ruth is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth

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

Newspapers Published in Fortenberry ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fortenberry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fortenberry, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fortenberry.

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 Fortenberry:

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 Fortenberry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fortenberry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.