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 Gretna (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 Gretna. 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 northwest 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 north.
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 north 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.
Gretna is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Choctaw (AL), Washington (AL), Clarke, Greene, Jasper, Jones & Perry.
Below are the counties that are near Gretna. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gretna:
- Wayne County (The home county of Gretna)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Matherville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Matherville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
- Waynesboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Robinsons Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Robinsons Junction is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsons Junction
- Chicora
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Chicora is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicora
- Clara
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clara is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clara
- Whistler
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Whistler is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistler
- Mulberry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Gin ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gin is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gin
- Shubuta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Shubuta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shubuta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Junction City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Junction City is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- De Soto
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- De Soto is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
- Quitman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Barnett
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barnett is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Pachuta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pachuta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pachuta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- State Line
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- State Line is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
- Carson City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Carson City is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Stafford Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Stafford Springs is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford Springs
- Vossburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vossburg is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vossburg
- Heidelberg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Choctaw County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Isney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Isney is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
- Emory
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emory is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
- Aquilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Aquilla is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Bolinger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bolinger is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolinger
- Silas
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Souwilpa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
- Cullomburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cullomburg is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullomburg
- Melvin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Melvin is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Gilbertown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Okatuppa
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Okatuppa is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okatuppa
- Toxey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Toxey is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Bladon Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bladon Springs is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladon Springs
- Clarke County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Fakit Chipunta ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Fakit Chipunta is located in Clarke County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fakit Chipunta
- West Bend
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- West Bend is located in Clarke County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bend
- Coffeeville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Salitpa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Salitpa is located in Clarke County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salitpa
- Washington County (AL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Mehaffey ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mehaffey is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehaffey
- Healing Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Copeland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Copeland is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
- Millry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Barlow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Barlow is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Frankville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Frankville is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Bigbee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bigbee is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigbee
- Yellow Pine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Yellow Pine is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Pine
- Chatom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chatom is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatom
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,168 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatom <1>
- Hobson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hobson is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
- Fruitdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Fruitdale is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitdale
- Saint Stephen's
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gretna, see our County-by-County Page for Gretna.
Cemeteries Near Gretna ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gretna.
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 Gretna - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gretna covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Big Rock Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Old Shady Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- New Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Eudora Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Philadelphus Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Old Aquilla Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wilkins Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Stagg Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (265 more) ...
- Aquilla Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Loften Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Old Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Gretna in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gretna.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
- Tokio
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Tokio is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tokio
- Isney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Isney is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isney
- Emory
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emory is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emory
- Aquilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Aquilla is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Denham
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Denham is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham
- Matherville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Matherville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
- Boice
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Boice is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boice
- Waynesboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Silas
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Souwilpa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Souwilpa is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souwilpa
- Winchester
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Winchester is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Melvin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Melvin is located in Choctaw County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Healing Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Healing Springs is located in Washington County (AL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Shubuta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Shubuta is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shubuta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Carmichael
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Carmichael is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmichael
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gretna. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gretna.
Newspapers Published in Gretna ...
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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gretna.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gretna, 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 Gretna.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Gretna:
- Websites specific to Mississippi
- Pages specific to Wayne County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clarke County
- Greene County
- Jasper County
- Choctaw County
- Clarke County
- Washington 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 Gretna, 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' (or 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- Gretna) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |