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 Fruitland Park (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 Fruitland Park. 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 Fruitland Park ...

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.

Another variation: Fruit Land Park.

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 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.

Fruitland Park is located in Forrest County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Forrest County: Covington, Jones, Lamar, Perry & Stone.

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

• Forrest County     (The home county of Fruitland Park)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • Carnes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnes
    • Carnes is located in Forrest County
  • McLaurin
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLaurin
    • McLaurin is located in Forrest County
  • Goodluck
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodluck
    • Goodluck is located in Forrest County
  • Hattiesburg
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattiesburg
    • Hattiesburg is located in Forrest County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 45,806 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hattiesburg <1>
  • Petal
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petal
    • Petal is located in Forrest County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,692 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petal <1>
• George County
  • Bexley
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bexley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bexley
    • Bexley is located in George County
• Greene County
  • McLain
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McLain have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLain
    • McLain is located in Greene County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
• Hancock County
  • Necaise
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Necaise
    • Necaise is located in Hancock County
• Harrison County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • Howison
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Howison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howison
    • Howison is located in Harrison County
  • Saucier
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saucier
    • Saucier is located in Harrison County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saucier <1>
  • Wortham
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wortham
    • Wortham is located in Harrison County
  • Lyman
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
    • Lyman is located in Harrison County
• Lamar County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • Lumberton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumberton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumberton
    • Lumberton is located in Lamar County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lumberton <1>
  • Wells Town
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wells Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Town
    • Wells Town is located in Lamar County
  • Purvis
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Purvis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purvis
    • Purvis is located in Lamar County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,398 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Purvis <1>
  • West Hattiesburg
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Hattiesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hattiesburg
    • West Hattiesburg is located in Lamar County
• Pearl River County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • Juniper Grove
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniper Grove
    • Juniper Grove is located in Pearl River County
  • Poplarville
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplarville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplarville
    • Poplarville is located in Pearl River County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,780 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poplarville <1>
• Perry County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • New Augusta
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Augusta
    • New Augusta is located in Perry County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Augusta <1>
  • Beaumont
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaumont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
    • Beaumont is located in Perry County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 894 people
  • Wingate
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
    • Wingate is located in Perry County
• Stone County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland Park, with the one closest to Fruitland Park listed first.
  • Wiggins
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiggins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiggins
    • Wiggins is located in Stone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,524 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiggins <1>
  • Smith Town
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smith Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Town
    • Smith Town is located in Stone County
  • McHenry
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
    • McHenry is located in Stone County

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

Cemeteries Near Fruitland Park ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fruitland Park.

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

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

• Bo Williams Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bo Williams Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bo Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Shadeville Park Memorial Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shadeville Park Memorial Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shadeville Park Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Woodlawn Park Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Landmark Missionary Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Landmark Missionary Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Landmark Missionary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Sims Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sims Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sims Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• St. Paul Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Welcome Hill Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welcome Hill Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welcome Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Taylor Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Griffin Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griffin Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griffin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Batson Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Batson Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Batson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Lott Smith Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lott Smith Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lott Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Fairley Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairley Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Continue List   (251 more) ...
  • Herrington Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Herrington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Herrington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Price Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Price Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<4>

While we didn't find Fruitland Park in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fruitland Park.

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

• Airey
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Airey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airey
  • Airey is located in Harrison County
• Hillsdale
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
  • Hillsdale is located in Pearl River County
• Orvisburg
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orvisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orvisburg
  • Orvisburg is located in Pearl River County
• Poplarville
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poplarville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplarville
  • Poplarville is located in Pearl River County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,780 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poplarville <1>
• Leaf
  (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaf
  • Leaf is located in Greene County
• Hattiesburg
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattiesburg
  • Hattiesburg is located in Forrest County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 45,806 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hattiesburg <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Fruitland Park ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fruitland Park.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fruitland Park, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fruitland Park.

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 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 Fruitland Park:

• Websites specific to Mississippi
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the Mississippi Department of Archives & History

• Pages specific to Forrest County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • George County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Greene County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Hancock County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Harrison County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Lamar County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Pearl River County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Perry County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Stone County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Mississippi
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Mississippi
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Mississippi
  • Cemeteries of Forrest County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Mississippi
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Mississippi
  • Cemeteries of Forrest County

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

The official website for Forrest County: www.co.forrest.ms.us/

The official website for State of Mississippi: https://www.ms.gov/