RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Mississippi >> Clay County >> Griffith >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Mississippi

The Commemorative Quarter for Mississippi





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 Griffith (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 Griffith. 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 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 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.

Griffith is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe, Oktibbeha & Webster.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Griffith)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffith, with the one closest to Griffith listed first.
    • Vardaman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vardaman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vardaman
      • Vardaman is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vardaman <2>
    • Benela
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Derma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derma
      • Derma is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 961 people
  • Chickasaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffith, with the one closest to Griffith listed first.
    • Woodland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Anchor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anchor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchor
      • Anchor is located in Chickasaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Anchor
      • From Griffith to Anchor
    • Egypt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Sycamore ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sycamore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Sycamore is located in Chickasaw County
    • Houston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Van Vleet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Okolona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Thelma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thelma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thelma
      • Thelma is located in Chickasaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Thelma
      • From Griffith to Thelma
    • New Houlka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Choctaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffith, with the one closest to Griffith listed first.
    • Reform
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reform. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
      • Reform is located in Choctaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Reform
      • From Griffith to Reform
    • Williams
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ackerman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Holmes County
  • Lowndes County
  • Monroe County
  • Noxubee County
    • Fairport ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
      • Fairport is located in Noxubee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fairport
      • From Griffith to Fairport
  • Oktibbeha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffith, with the one closest to Griffith listed first.
    • Clayton Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Village
      • Clayton Village is located in Oktibbeha County
    • Starkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Adaton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Maben
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Longview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Sessums
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Double Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bradley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sturgis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturgis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
      • Sturgis is located in Oktibbeha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <2>
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Griffith, with the one closest to Griffith listed first.
    • Mantee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mantee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mantee
      • Mantee is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Clarkson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Mathiston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Hohenlinden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Fame
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Sapa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sapa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapa
      • Sapa is located in Webster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sapa
      • From Griffith to Sapa
    • Montevista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montevista. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevista
      • Montevista is located in Webster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montevista
      • From Griffith to Montevista
    • Walthall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Eupora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eupora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eupora
      • Eupora is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,998 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eupora <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Griffith ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Griffith.

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

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

  • Watkins Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mosley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mosley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mosley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cumberland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cumberland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cumberland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McPherson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McPherson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McPherson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shaffer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Siloam Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Siloam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Siloam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Abbott Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Abbott Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Abbott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chandler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chandler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chandler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Palo Alto Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palo Alto Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palo Alto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Montpelier Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Montpelier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Montpelier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (286 more) ...
    • Rocky Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rocky Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rocky Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pearsons Chapel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pearsons Chapel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pearsons Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Robertson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Robertson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Robertson 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Griffith had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Cedar Bluff
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Palo Alto
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
    • Palo Alto is located in Clay County
  • Siloam
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Siloam. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
    • Siloam is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Siloam
    • From Griffith to Siloam
  • Abbott
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Cairo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cairo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
    • Cairo is located in Clay County
  • Mhoons Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Beasley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pheba
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Montpelier
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montpelier. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montpelier
    • Montpelier is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Montpelier
    • From Griffith to Montpelier
  • Osborn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osborn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
    • Osborn is located in Oktibbeha County
  • West Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Una
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Starkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Whites
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whites have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites
      • Whites is located in Clay County
    • Muldon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Griffith ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Griffith.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Griffith, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Griffith.

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 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 Griffith:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Griffith) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Griffith. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.6352, Longitude: -88.8283    
<5>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.
<6>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 Griffith, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025